Former Sen. Fred Thompson dead at 73

Former senator, 2008 presidential candidate, and movie and television star Fred Dalton Thompson passed away Sunday. He was 73.

"It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of grief that we share the passing of our brother, husband, father, and grandfather who died peacefully in Nashville surrounded by his family," a statement from his family reads.

As an attorney, he played a pivotal role in the resignation of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate Scandal. His political career included eight years serving as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee and briefly as a GOP presidential candidate. Thompson's acting credits featured some of the most popular films and television series of his time, most notably, "Law and Order."

Thompson is survived by three children and his wife Jeri. According to a statement from his family, the former senator suffered from a recurrence of lymphoma.

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