Obama to speak at Kennedy funeral; burial at Arlington

Kennedy will be buried not far from the grave sites of former president John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, and Robert Kennedy, who suffered the same fate while running for the White House in 1968.

US President Barack Obama, who received a big boost in his bid for the Democratic Party nomination from Kennedy's endorsement in early 2008, is expected to speak at the funeral in Boston early Saturday, the Washington Post reported, citing a senior White House official.

The funeral is to be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston, Massachusetts, the home state of the senator.

Ted Kennedy died late Tuesday at the age of 77 after a 15-month battle against brain cancer. Obama, former colleagues and leaders around the world have paid tribute to Kennedy since learning of his death.

Kennedy served in the Senate since 1962 and his previous military service made him eligible for burial at Arlington, which lies near the Pentagon and is the final resting place for many of the country's war dead.