Barack Obama shed tears as he spoke of his late grandmother at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina on Monday night.

Madelyn Dunham, 86, passed away in Hawaii on Sunday, just two days before the election that will determine if her grandson will make history by becoming the first African-American president of the United States.

“I’m not going to talk about it long because it’s hard to talk about,” the emotional senator said, before proclaiming his beloved grandma “one of those quiet heroes we have across America, who aren’t famous … but each and every day they work hard. They look after their families. They look after their children and their grandchildren.”