How did Joe Biden’s son Beau die and how old was he?

JOE Biden called his late son Beau "the finest man any of us have ever known.”

But who was Joe Biden's oldest son Beau and how old was he when he died?

Who was Beau Biden?

Born as Joseph R Biden III on February 3, 1969, Beau Biden was the eldest of Joe Biden and his first wife Neilia Biden's three children.

He served for two terms as the former attorney general of Delaware and as a Major in the Delaware Army National Guard.

In 2014, Beau announced plans to run for governor of Delaware in 2016.

He nearly followed his father's footsteps in 2010 when he mulled over a run for the US Senate but was sidelined by a mild stroke.

Beau married Hallie Olivere in 2002.

The couple had two children, daughter Natalie born in 2004, and son Robert Hunter Biden II in 2006.

How did Beau Biden die and how old was he?

Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46 on May 30, 2015.

He had spent more than a week receiving treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where he spent his final moments.

Joe Biden said in a statement: “It is with broken hearts that Hallie, Hunter, Ashley, Jill and I announce the passing of our husband, brother and son, Beau, after he battled brain cancer with the same integrity, courage and strength he demonstrated every day of his life."

He added: “In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.”

What did Joe Biden say about Beau?

During the White House's announcement on February 2, 2022, about the Cancer Moonshot program being relaunched, the Bidens spoke about their personal experiences with cancer.

Biden opened his remarks by thanking the physician who helped Beau through his battle with glioblastoma.

"See that doctor on the end there," Biden said. "That's the man who spent 18 months trying to save our son's life.

"Doctor, I love you. The whole family loves you,' the president said.

Beau Biden was 46 when he died, and today would have been his 53rd birthday. 

During a campaign stop in Pennsylvania in 2021, Joe Biden made an Election Day gaffe by seemingly confusing his granddaughter with his late son Beau.

He was speaking to supporters in Philadelphia when he made the mistake.

Introducing fans to his family, he put his arm around his 16-year-old granddaughter's shoulder saying: "This is my son, Beau Biden who a lot of you helped elect to the Senate in ."

He then said "this is my granddaughter, Natalie" before noticing his mistake and saying "no wait, we got the wrong one."

Biden then puts his arm around his granddaughter's shoulder and says "this is Natalie, this is Beau's daughter" before embracing "Beau's number two," his granddaughter Finnegan.

Who were Beau Biden’s parents?

Beau's father is Democrat Joe Biden who served as the US Vice President under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017.

He is now in the running to become the next US president in the 2020 election.

He was born on November 20, 1942, making him 76 years old.

Joe became the sixth-youngest senator in US history after becoming an attorney in 1969.

If his presidential bid is successful, Biden, 76, would become the oldest person to be elected president in US history.

Beau was the eldest son of Biden and his first wife Neilia Hunter Biden.

Joe and Neilia Biden met as students while attending Syracuse University.

Both juniors at the time, their paths crossed while on Spring Break in the Bahamas.

After Biden and Neilia married in 1966, she was awarded a master's degree in English and taught English in a public school, according to the couple's engagement announcement in The News Journal.

Neilia was tragically killed in a car accident in 1972, along with her and Biden's 13-month-old daughter Naomi.

What was Kamala Harris' relationship to Beau Biden?

Kamala Harris' friendship with Joe Biden's late son may have helped her chances at becoming his vice-presidential running mate in 2020.

After being sworn in as attorney general of California in 2011, she quickly became friends with Beau, who served as Delaware's AG at the time.

The two strategized together on cases and compared notes.

Former aides of both Harris and the younger Biden told the that the pair often used each other as sounding boards, and even their staff formed close bonds.

Harris shared a touching tribute to her late friend on his fourth death anniversary in 2019 and said, "I still miss him."