GOP lawmaker dies after fight with cancer

Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R-Miss.) has died at the age of 56 after a battle with cancer.

{mosads}”Congressman Alan Nunnelee has gone home to be with Jesus,” his family said in a statement Friday released by his congressional office. “He was well loved and will be greatly missed.”

Nunnelee had been suffering from health problems since 2012 and battled cancer since last spring. He was transferred to hospice care in his home last week, after doctors found a new inoperable tumor.

The congressman, who was first elected in 2010, suffered a stroke in June during an operation to remove a brain tumor and underwent radiation, chemotherapy and physical therapy.

He returned to Washington in November but experienced a hematoma in his left leg over the holidays and was admitted to a hospital Dec. 28.

The congressman’s death opens up a spot on the House Appropriations Committee as well as a heavily Republican open seat in northern Mississippi.

Under state law, Mississippi’s governor must call a special election within 60 days. The election must then take place within 60 days of the governor’s order.

President Obama offered his condolences to Nunnelee’s family.

“Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of Representative Alan Nunnelee,” he said in a statement. “Alan represented the people of his beloved Mississippi for two decades, first as a state senator and then in Congress. A proud son of Tupelo, Alan never wavered in his determination to serve the men and women who placed their trust in him, even as he bravely battled the illness that ultimately took his life.  

“As a Sunday School teacher and a deacon at his church, Alan believed deeply in the power of faith and the strength of American families,” the president added. “Today, our thoughts and prayers are with Alan’s family – his wife Tori, their children and grandchildren, and all those who loved him.”

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) ordered the Capitol’s flags to be flown at half-staff. In a statement, he said Nunnelee served “with grace and distinction.”

“He was the rare calming presence in the cauldron of politics.  He never let cancer get the best of him,” said Boehner. “We know this because, at the end of his life, all Alan asked of us was whether he made a difference.  Indeed he did, very much so.

“But there is more to it than that. Because when you think about all the good Alan did and all the lives he touched, it is plain that he will continue to make a difference,” he added.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of my colleague Congressman Alan Nunnelee,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said in a statement. “Alan was a family man that will be missed tremendously. I offer my condolences to his beloved wife Tori and to his entire family.” 

“Please join me in saying a prayer for @RepAlanNunnelee’s wife (Tori), his children (Reed, Nathan, & Emily), his family, staff, and friends,” Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) tweeted shortly after the news broke.

— This story was last updated at 3:58 p.m.