Democrat Daniel Inouye, the current longest-serving member of the US Senate, died Monday at age 88, his office and a top senator said.
“Our friend Daniel Inouye just died,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor.
His last words were “Aloha,” Inouye’s office said in a statement.
Inouye, who had been hospitalized in recent weeks with respiratory problems, had represented Hawaii in the Senate since 1962, earning the title president pro tempore — the designation for the chamber’s longest-serving member.
Inouye, a decorated World War II veteran, was third in line for the presidency.
Seniormost US senator Daniel Inouye dead at 88
