Tributes pour in for former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson
Condolences and memories for the actor and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson began pouring in on Sunday evening after news broke that he died.
Thompson, 73, died from a recurrence of lymphoma, according to his family's statement.
Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, who succeeded Thompson in the Senate in 2003 and who worked with him for many years, called Thompson "one of our country's most principles and effective public servants."
"Very few people can light up the room the way Fred Thompson did," Alexander said in a statement. "He was my friend for nearly fifty years. I will miss him greatly. Honey and I and our entire family send our love and sympathy to Jeri and the Thompson family."
Thompson served in the Senate from 1994 to 2003. He later ran for president briefly in 2008. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee that year, said on Twitter on Sunday that he was "deeply saddened" by the news.
Thompson was first diagnosed with lymphoma a few years before he launched his White House bid.
He was also an actor, appearing in NBC's "Law and Order" as a Manhattan district attorney, and in about two dozen movies.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, tweeted that Thompson "impacted millions of people's lives."
GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush also expressed condolences on the social media platform.
During the 1970s, Thompson worked as a chief counsel on a Senate committee that investigated the Watergate scandal.
"He enjoyed a hearty laugh, a strong handshake, a good cigar, and a healthy dose of humility," his family said in a statement. "Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of Lawrenceburg, his home."
