Thomas Kennedy, Longtime State Lawmaker, Dies At 63

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — Massachusetts state Sen. Thomas Kennedy of Brockton has died.

An aide says Kennedy died Sunday night at Brockton Hospital. He was 63. Cause of death was not immediately disclosed. The aide, Joseph Masciangioli, said Kennedy died peacefully with family and friends at his side.

A Democrat, Kennedy had been in a wheelchair since an accident in 1971 that left him paralyzed.

He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1983 and held that office 25 years until his election to the state Senate in 2008.

The MassGOP offered their condolences Monday, saying in a public statement that Kennedy "spent more than half his life faithfully serving his constituents in Brockton and surrounding communities as a city councilor, state representative, and state senator."

State speaker of the house Robert DeLeo recalled that Kennedy was was one of the first chairs with whom he worked with after being elected.

"He eventually became a good friend and I'll remember him as a kind and decent man who I could rely on for advice and counsel," DeLeo said in a public statement.

In a statement, Senate President Stan Rosenberg called Kennedy a "great friend, colleague and public servant," who devoted his life to serving his constituents and whose voice will be missed in the Senate.

Kennedy is not related to the famous Kennedy political clan.