MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

How did Harry Reid die? Former Senate leader who 'MADE' Obama's presidency dead at 82

Harry Reid is known for spearheading iconic legislative battles through three decades in Congress

Former Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid has died at the age of 82, his wife Landra Reid said in a statement. Reid is known for spearheading iconic legislative battles through three decades in Congress. Reid, one of the most powerful politicians in Nevada history, rose from humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada. The cause of Reid's death is yet to be revealed publicly.

"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," Landra Reid said in a statement. 

READ MORE

How did John Madden die? Fans recall sportscaster as 'greatest coach' amid death at 85

How did Candy Palmater die? Canadian comedian dies suddenly at 53

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement on Tuesday morning, December 28, "Harry Reid was 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."

In 2018, Reid underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. Less than a year later, he said that he was in remission. He had told CNN's Dana Bash back then that he felt "very good" and was "doing fine." 

President Barack Obama, in a letter written to Reid a short while before he died, said: "I wouldn't have been president had it not been for your encouragement and support. And I wouldn't have got most of what I got done without your skill and determination." 

Modest beginnings

Harry Reid was born in 1939 in a modest home. In his memoir, 'The Good Fight', Reid revealed that his mother once earned money by doing laundry for local brothels. His father was a hard-rock miner. Reid, who attended high school in Henderson, Nevada, often had to hitchhike the 45-mile route.

Reid was a boxer in his youth and later attended Utah State University. He then moved to Washington, DC, and went on to work as an officer for the United States Capitol Police. "I think I am the only former Capitol policeman here that is a senator," Reid had said in 2011. "I have such great respect for the work that they do."

He attended law school in Washington, DC, and later returned to Nevada and served as lieutenant governor from 1971 to 1975. He was the youngest ever person elected to that role in the state. Reid later served as chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

When Nevada went from one congressional district to two after the 1980 census, Read ran for a newly created congressional district around Las Vegas in 1982. He subsequently won the general election and was reelected in 1984, following which he successfully ran for Nevada's open Senate seat in 1986.

He went on to serve as the chamber's Democratic whip from 1999 to 2005. Until his retirement in 2017, Reid served as his party's leader in the Senate, through Democrats' time in both the minority and the majority. Reid is known for having used his experience in Congress to help former President Barack Obama steer his landmark Affordable Care Act through the Senate.

Social media pays tribute

Tributes and condolences poured in on social media after the news of Reid's death surfaced. On Twitter, former President Barack Obama released a letter he had written to him before his death. "When Harry Reid was nearing the end, his wife Landra asked some of us to share letters that she could read to him. In lieu of a statement, here’s what I wrote to my friend," he wrote, attaching the letter.

One user wrote, "This is heartbreaking. Harry Reid was a good, smart man who always put Nevadans first. He leaves a long legacy between his kids and the many operatives he mentored and loved dearly. I am lucky to be one of the beneficiaries of their work. Tonight, my heart is in NV." "Sad to hear about the passing of the former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. My condolences to his family," another user said. 

"My favorite Harry Reid story is when he worked on the Nevada Gaming Commission in the 1970s, and a mobster tried to bribe him. Reid went to the FBI and set up a sting, but when the time came, Reid went off-script and choked the guy! "You son of a bitch, you tried to bribe me!" wrote one user, while another wrote, "You learn a lot about a politician when you're their Research Director, and I can verify that Harry Reid was one of a kind. The dominant theme of his record: Harry Reid did what he thought was right, and he didn't care what you thought about it. We shall never see his like again."