Elizabeth Edwards loses battle with cancer at 61

Edwards, the estranged wife of former North Carolina U.S. Senator and 2004 vice presidential hopeful John Edwards, had been battling breast cancer since a 2006 diagnoses.

ABC News reports news of her death, noting that the mood by her side was "warm and peaceful" in her final days and that John was among those with her.

"You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces - my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope," she recently wrote on her Facebook page. "These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined."

"I have found that in the simple act of living with hope," she continued, "and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful."

Though much of Elizabeth's time in the public eye was marred by John's reported infidelity, she was quite an accomplished individual.

A lawyer by trade, Edwards took early retirement from the profession in 1996, following the loss of her and John's first child, Wade, who died in an automobile accident at 16. She turned her focus to managing a trust in his name, the Wade Edwards Foundation and the Wade Edwards Learning Lab.

Later in life she tried to turn her loss and illness into something inspirational, talking about both candidly on television appearances and releasing two books, "Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers" and "Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities."

In 2009, she even opened up a furniture store, Red Window, near her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

She is survived by her three children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack.