( CNN ) -- Both Massachusetts governor candidates have suspended campaign activity Thursday to honor former Boston Mayor Tom Menino , who died this morning , as politicians across the state and D.C. remember the city 's longest serving mayor . President Barack Obama said he and First Lady Michelle Obama were saddened to learn of Menino 's passing in a statement . `` Bold , big-hearted , and Boston strong , Tom was the embodiment of the city he loved and led for more than two decades , '' the White House statement said . `` His legacy lives on in every neighborhood he helped revitalize , every school he helped turn around , and every community he helped make a safer , better place to live . '' Democratic governor candidate and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley called the fellow Democrat the `` greatest mayor in [ Boston 's ] history . '' `` What made Tom Menino so remarkable was his connection to the people he represented -- he understood their lives , their hopes , and their dreams , '' she said in a statement . `` And he fought for them every day . '' Coakley 's opponent , Republican Charlie Baker , has cancelled public events Thursday and Friday `` out of respect for the passing of Mayor Menino , '' according to a campaign statement on Twitter . Statements of condolences from other well-known politicians continue to pour in , including one from Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren , of Massachusetts . `` The City of Boston lost a great fighter today . Mayor Tom Menino used his big heart , his strong voice , and his fierce determination to shape every corner of the city . '' Warren said . `` Our mayor is gone , but he lives on in every neighborhood in Boston . '' Secretary of State John Kerry weighed in with an emotional statement this morning . `` Tom Menino was Boston . In fact , if you just look around the city , you 'll see with your own eyes that he is Boston today , '' said Kerry , a former Massachusetts senator , highlighting Menino 's folksy appeal and down-to-earth attitude . `` People came up to the Mayor and asked him to fix things , and he followed up and fixed them , whether it was streetlights or parks or getting the snow plowed so people could get to work on time . He knew what built community . He felt the city and the neighborhoods in his bones . '' Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick called Menino a `` political giant . '' `` [ My wife ] Diane and I have lost a friend , '' he said . Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg , who led the city for three terms , highlighted his partnership with Menino on gun control . `` Tom Menino was a terrific mayor and a close partner for me , '' Bloomberg wrote in a statement . `` In 2006 , we formed Mayors Against Illegal Guns -- and what began as a meeting of 15 mayors ultimately became a coalition of more than 1,000 mayors from around the country . Whether it was tackling illegal guns or reviving neighborhoods , Tom was never afraid to take on tough issues . '' Menino , who emerged as a leader on environmental issues , economic development and LGBT rights , announced he would step down in 2013 because of persistent health issues . A few weeks later , he famously left his own hospital bed during the Boston Marathon bombing to appear at a televised memorial service for victims . He died Thursday at 71 after a long battle with cancer .
Both candidates for governor in Massachusetts cancel campaign activity . They 're responding to the passing of former Boston Mayor Tom Menino . He died at age 61 on Friday after a battle with cancer.