He had 'special bond with his grandmother'

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Mr Obama's half-brother Abongo, an accountant from Washington DC, said he was frequently in touch with his brother on one of the hardest days of his life. Speaking from the family home in western Kenya, where he is on holiday with his mother and siblings, the 51-year-old said: "We are all very upset. She was my grandmother too. We were very close and she was especially close to Barack. It's a great loss and so sad a day before election day."

Mr Obama was told about the death in Hawaii last night of 86-year-old Madelyn Payne Dunham as he embarked on a final push in the battle for the White House.

Mrs Dunham, who had cancer, helped bring him up. He called her "Toots" and she called him "Barry". In a statement with his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, who was with Mrs Dunham when she died, Mr Obama said: "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was proud of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and left this world with the knowledge that her impact on all of us was meaningful and enduring. Our debt to her is beyond measure."

Ian Manners, from Warfield, Berkshire, who was married to Mr Obama's half-sister Auma, said of Barack and Mrs Dunham: "They had a special connection, a real rapport."

Mr Manners, 55, said Mr Obama visited Mrs Dunham a week ago: "He realised it could be the last time. His mother died before he had a chance to say goodbye. He didn't want that happening again."