Lawyer and author Elizabeth Edwards passed away today after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 61-years-old. The Charlotte Observer reported the news.

She had written two memoirs: Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers and Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities. Edwards (pictured, via) entered the public spotlight as the wife of vice presidential candidate John Edwards. She worked in the North Carolina Attorney General’s office and at the law firm Merriman, Nichols, and Crampton in Raleigh. She also served as an adjunct  legal writing professor at North Carolina University’s Law School.

Here’s more from her book: “She’s one of the most beloved political figures in the country, and on the surface, seems to have led a charmed life. In many ways, she has. Beautiful family. Thriving career. Supportive friendship. Loving marriage. But she’s no stranger to adversity. Many know of the strength she had shown after her son, Wade, was killed in a freak car accident when he was only sixteen years old. She would exhibit this remarkable grace and courage again when the very private matter of her husband’s infidelity became public fodder.”