Senator Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour in what could be the grim final chapter in a life marked by exhilarating triumph and shattering tragedy.

A CANCEROUS brain tumour caused the seizure Senator Edward M Kennedy suffered over the weekend, doctors said on Tuesday in a grim diagnosis for one of the most enduring figures of American politics.

DOCTORS in the US were working yesterday to determine the cause of a seizure that sent Senator Edward Kennedy to the hospital and prompted an outpouring of support for the liberal political icon.

Senator Edward Kennedy, the lone surviving son in a famed political family who helped define national Democratic Party politics, is recovering in hospital today after suffering a seizure.