Former Sen. Fred Thompson dead at 73
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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."
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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.