American politician and actor Fred Thompson has died on Sunday at the age of 73. Thompson’s family broke the news of his sudden demise in a statement.

"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," The Tennessean quoted Thompson’s family as saying.

Apart from being an actor and a U.S. Senator, Thompson was also a radio host, lobbyist, attorney and columnist. He debuted in the field of acting with the 1985 film “Marie,” in which he played himself. He went on to act in several other films including "No Way Out," "The Hunt for Red October," "Days of Thunder" and “Die Hard 2.”

In order to fulfill his political ambitions, Thompson took a break from acting and ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2008. He eventually dropped out from the race in January 2008. He returned to acting with the ABC television series “Life on Mars.”

The “Law & Order” actor was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2004. However, he announced in 2007 that he has no symptoms of lymphoma.

"I have had no illness from it, or even any symptoms. My life expectancy should not be affected. I am in remission, and it is very treatable with drugs if treatment is needed in the future—and with no debilitating side effects," Thompson announced in 2007, according Fox News. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the recurrence of lymphoma eight years later.

Below are some tweets about Fred Thompson.

Fred Thompson's last tweet:

Watch Remembering Fred Thompson here:

Source: YouTube/Veno Mena

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