A series of services and ceremonies honoring the life of Arizona Senator John McCain will continue in Washington, D.C.
McCain died Saturday at his family’s ranch near Sedona after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer for over a year. Wednesday would have been McCain’s 82nd birthday.
McCain’s body left Arizona for Washington, D.C. Annapolis, Maryland, is where he will be buried at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Friday: McCain lies in state at U.S. Capitol Rotunda
McCain’s body will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda beginning Friday.
McCain will become just the 31st person to have received the honor of lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda since Henry Clay became the first in 1852. McCain will join an illustrious list that includes Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Rosa Parks.
A formal ceremony will take place honoring his life at approximately 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. MST). McCain's Congress colleagues will present a wreath both from the Senate and another from the House of Representatives.
At the conclusion of that ceremony, the public will be able to pay their respects to the late senator throughout the afternoon and evening.
“The nation mourns the loss of a great American patriot, a statesman who put his country first and enriched this institution through many years of service,” McConnell said in a statement confirming the ceremony.
Saturday: Service at National Cathedral
The family will gathered at the Capitol where they will escort Sen. McCain's body along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Vietnam War Memorial, where Cindy McCain and the family will lay a wreath.
A service will be held for McCain at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C., on Saturday. The service will start at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. MST). Family, friends, national and international dignitaries are expected to attend.
The first tribute will be done by Sen. McCain's daughter, Meghan. His son, Jimmy, will read a poem. Others who will read tributes are former Sen. Joe Liberman, Dr. Henry Kissinger as well as president George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Sidney McCain, the senator's daughter, will conduct a reading along with McCain's friend Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Davis said "Danny Boy" will be performed as a musical interlude at the specific request of Sen. McCain.
Sunday: Burial at U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis
The McCain family will travel with John McCain to his final resting place.
A private memorial service will take place at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis prior to a private burial service at the academy ceremony.
Four generations of McCains have attended the Naval Academy: his grandfather, his father, Sen. McCain, and his son Jack, who currently serves in the Navy.
McCain will be laid to rest next to his classmate and lifelong friend, Admiral Chuck Larson. Larson died in 2014 of pneumonia after two years of treatment for leukemia.
The events at the Naval Academy will not be open to the public or press.