The mum-of-two was shot three times with a 'home-made or antique' firearm and stabbed repeatedly with a foot-long knife in a frenzied attack on the steps of her constituency surgery in Birstall, near Leeds.
Local man Thomas Mair, 52, has been charged by the police with carrying out the attack. A witness reportedly heard him shout ‘Britain first’- the name of a far-right political party, who later stated: “We are nothing to do with it” - as he allegedly kicked and stabbed the married labour MP, who was campaigning to remain in the EU.
Jo's husband Brendan Cox, 37, who faces raising their children - aged three and five - alone, also paid tribute to Jo in a heartbreaking statement.
He said: "Today is the beginning of a new chapter. More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. Jo believed in a better world and she fought for it every day... we must unite against the hatred that killed her."
Jo's close friend Kirsty McNeill, 36, was heartbroken to learn of her death. She first met Jo in 2003 when they were colleagues.
Now working as Save The Children's Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, Kirsty, tells Closer: "Jo was killed doing her dream job. She was a massively insprational woman and so down to earth; I feel privileged to have known her.
"We were colleagues and then friends- she attended my wedding in Scotland in January last year.
"She had a big heart and was very generous; she was so warm and constantly saw the good in people. She was a campaigner and passionate about women's and refugee rights and her whole life was spent fighting for others."
**The full feature is in Closer Magazine, out now. **
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Labour MP Jo Cox shot dead after shock attack in West Yorkshire