For a second day, mourners from all walks of life are filing past the coffin of longtime U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, to pay their respects to the influential lawmaker and last member of a generation of Kennedy political leaders. Thousands of people lined up Thursday to view the flag-draped coffin at the library and museum in Boston, Massachusetts, of the late senator's brother, slain President John F. Kennedy. After public viewing of the closed casket wraps up later Friday, a private memorial service will take place at the library. Thousands of people lined streets to catch a glimpse of the motorcade that brought the coffin of Senator Kennedy to the museum from his home in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod. The longtime Democratic senator died Tuesday at the age of 77, after a year-long battle with brain cancer. President Barack Obama will deliver a eulogy Saturday at a funeral Mass in Boston before the senator's burial at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington. Lawmakers who served with Kennedy and all living former U.S. presidents have praised the late senator for his ability to reach across party lines to pass health care, civil rights and education legislation. Three former presidents (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) are expected to attend the funeral. A spokesman for former President George H.W. Bush says the 41st president will not attend. The prime ministers of Britain, Gordon Brown, and Ireland, Brian Cowen, also are scheduled to attend the Saturday service. A champion of the poor and defender of the disadvantaged, Senator Kennedy had a passionate, unwavering commitment to his views. With a towering presence in the Senate chamber and his ability to work across the political divide, the liberal stalwart earned the nickname "Lion of the Senate." Tributes also came in from world leaders, highlighting Kennedy's dedication to human rights and other issues, such as his work to end apartheid in South Africa and achieve peace in Northern Ireland.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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