Former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has died after a long fight with prostate cancer, The Oklahoman reported Saturday morning. He was 72-years-old.
"Tom A Coburn, MD, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home this morning surrounded by his family," his family said in a statement. "Because of his strong faith, he rested in the hope found in John chapter 11 verse 25 where Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, will live, even though they die.' Today he lives in heaven."
A memorial service will be scheduled for a later date and will be announced, his family said.
Coburn, a Republican who began his career in the House in 1995, was known as a political maverick and someone who spoke their minds. He was a fierce conservative and opponent of wasteful spending by the federal government. Every year, Coburn would release the Wastebook, where he would highlight some of the biggest forms of wasteful spending by the government. He was elected to the Senate in 2004 and retired in 2015.
Coburn was a doctor before entering politics, delivering more than 4,000 babies in his career as a doctor in Muskogee.
Vice President Mike Pence called Coburn a "great conservative voice in the United States Congress" and an "American physician whose legacy will live on."
"Karen and I send our deepest sympathies and prayers to his family during this tough time," Pence wrote on Twitter.
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