(Fwrd Axis) — Former Democratic senate leader Harry Reid died on Tuesday after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife confirmed.
Reid’s wife, Landra Reid, announced his death in a statement.
“I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” she said.
Reid served as a senator in 1987 to 2017 and as majority leader from 2007 to 2015. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) released a statement, calling Reid “”one of the most amazing individuals I’ve ever met.”
“He never forgot where he came from and used those boxing instincts to fearlessly fight those who were hurting the poor & the middle class. He’s gone but will walk by the sides of many of us in the Senate every day,” Schumer said.
Reid served two terms in the U.S. House before winning a Senate seat that he held for two decades and continued to stay in politics after his retirement by weighing in on elections and policy.
President Joe Biden, who served with Reid in the Senate, released a statement on his death.
“Harry was first and foremost the devoted husband to his dear Landra. Over six decades together, they built a remarkable family with their children—Lana, Rory, Leif, Josh, and Key—and all of their grandchildren and great-grandchild,” Biden said. “Jill and I send our love and prayers to Landra and the entire Reid family.”
Landra Reid said in her statement that funeral arrangements for her late husband would be announced in the coming days.
“We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from so many over these past few years,” she said. “We are especially grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for him. Please know that meant the world to him.”
