Last link to JFK White House: Sargent Shriver dies

"Sargent Shriver helped Special Olympics break down barriers around the world and with his knowledge and expertise in foreign affairs and different cultures, helped turn Special Olympics into the international movement it is today," said Robert A. Johnson, president and CEO of the organization.

In 1994, Shriver received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton.

"He leaves behind an astonishing legacy of people helped, lives transformed, and communities improved," the Clintons said. "Through his work and his passion, he helped build a better America and a more humane world."

His famous son-in-law, Schwarzenegger, called Shriver an inspiration.

"As someone who has always believed very strongly in the power of the body and the power of the mind and the power of will, Sargent taught me a new power: the power of the heart," said Schwarzenegger, who is married to Maria Shriver.

Besides Maria and Anthony, the Shrivers had three more sons — Robert, Timothy and Mark. Mark Shriver was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1995 and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2002. They also had 19 grandchildren.