RIP, Madelyn Dunham

Just never a good time for something like this.

Sen. Barack Obama's grandmother has died, his campaign said this afternoon.

Linda Douglass, a senior aide, said Obama learned of her death about 8 a.m. Eastern time today. She said Madelyn Dunham, 87, a woman who helped raise Obama, passed between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Eastern time.

Obama's grandmother, who had been gravely ill, was a rock of stability, giving him the American roots that would ground his teenage years as well as his career in politics.

Our condolences to Senator Obama and his family.