Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) mourned Charlie Kirk, who was slain at an event in Utah on Wednesday, with the senator calling the right-wing activist “one of those beacons” who inspired young conservatives across the country.

“He was a leader. He was the Pied Piper,” Marshall said in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill” late Wednesday. “When Buddy Holly died, they say the music died. And I feel like, you know, the music died today for this conservative movement.”

“And we’ll be back,” he continued. “But I really had that feeling that he was like a musician, only it was with his words and his inspiration.”

Marshall stressed the profound impact that Kirk’s death has had on young conservatives, pointing specifically to the young people who work in his Senate office.

“My staff is crushed,” Marshall said. “There’s a bastion of young conservatives here, as you can imagine. People out here, you know, follow Charlie. I mean, they are his age, they’re his generation, and they are absolutely crushed.”

Kirk, an influential Trump ally and co-founder of the Turning Point USA organization, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking to a crowd at a college event at Utah Valley University (UVU).

He was 18 years old when he founded TPUSA, which aimed to spread conservative values on college campuses deemed left leaning. The group today has chapters on more than 850 campuses.

“Youngsters today looked up to Charlie, that he was leading this movement,” Marshall said. “The number of young Republican conservatives out there is just exploding right now. And he was one of those beacons out there that they looked up to.”

President Trump on Thursday announced he will posthumously award conservative activist Charlie Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a day after Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to a large crowd at Utah Valley University.

The president made the announcement at the top of his remarks at the Pentagon where he was commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He said the date of the medal ceremony will be announced later.

“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”

Trump called Kirk’s family “fantastic people.”

“We miss him greatly and yet I have no doubt that Charlie’s voice… will live on,” he said.

Kirk, a leading voice in the MAGA movement, was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University while speaking to a large crowd during an event billed as “The American Comeback Tour.”

Vice President JD Vance traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah on Thursday to pay his respects to the family of Kirk.

Trump on Wednesday night, in a video posted online, said that he was “filled with grief and anger” at the fatal shooting of Kirk, calling Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom.”

Kirk’s death has stoked fears of more political violence and as of Thursday morning, a manhunt is still underway for the assassin.

Authorities said they recovered what is believed to be the rifle used and said they have good footage of the suspect but have no plans to publish it at this time. They believe the suspect to be of college age. 

Peter Mandelson, the United Kingdom’s top diplomat in the U.S., was removed from his post Thursday, according to officials, over his ties to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Stephen Doughty, the U.K.’s Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, made the announcement to the House of Commons, citing “additional information in the emails written” by Mandelson.

Doughty cited one message in which Mandelson said he thought Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida “was wrongful and should be challenged.” Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019, pleaded guilty in the earlier case.

“The emails show … that the depth and extent of Lord Madison’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is materially different from that known at the time of his appointment,” Doughty said. “Mindful as we all are of the victims of Epstein’s appalling crimes, [Mandelson] has been withdrawn as ambassador with immediate effect.”

The firing comes after a U.S. House panel released a book gifted to the convicted sex offender for his 50th birthday in 2003, which included a 10-page note from Mandelson about their friendship. The so-called birthday book, compiled by co-conspirator and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, also included notes attributed to President Trump, former President Clinton and other prominent people.

Mandelson’s note was accompanied by several photos of the two vacationing together and he referred to Epstein as “my best pal.”

After the book was released, the diplomat expressed regret over their ties in an interview with The Sun.

“One, I feel a tremendous sense, a profound sense of sympathy for those people, those women who suffered as a result of his behavior and his illegal, criminal activities,” he said. “And secondly, I regret very, very deeply indeed, carrying on that association with him for far longer than I should have done.”

Mandelson was a key player in the U.K.’s efforts to curry favor with Trump, which helped Britain land the first bilateral trade deal amid the White House’s sweeping tariff upheaval earlier this year. The ex-ambassador also spoke excitedly about the president’s upcoming visit in a recent interview with Breitbart News.

“The King is going to roll out the red carpet for President Trump,” Mandelson told the outlet. “I think it just shows how much our country respects the President, and I think it shows the closeness of our two countries.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

The nation on Thursday marks the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which killed 2,977 people in three locations.

Memorials will take place in the shadow of the brazen killing of political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down Wednesday on a Utah college campus. The shooting suspect remains at large. A person of interest was released from custody Wednesday night after questioning.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are set to attend a 9/11 event at the Pentagon at the time it was hit, 8:45 a.m. EDT. Later Thursday, he will attend the New York Yankees game in the Bronx.

Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance were initially scheduled to attend the ceremony at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, but will now travel to Arizona to pay their respects to Kirk’s family, NewsNation has learned.

Trump announced Kirk’s death on Wednesday afternoon, less than two hours after a gunshot struck him in the neck as he spoke at Utah Valley University. The “political assassination,” as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) described it, of a MAGA movement shining star shook politicians on both sides of the aisle and devastated conservatives, in particular.

“All this violence cannot happen. Charlie Kirk was such an amazing guy,” Trump said in a statement to Fox News on Wednesday night. “It’s such a tragic day.”

Follow along for updates all day.