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Title: U.S. Senator, Actor Fred Thompson Passes Away
Source:
NewsChannel 5
URL Source: http://www.newschannel5.com/news/lo ... ctor-fred-thompson-passes-away
Published: Nov 1, 2015
Author: NewsChannel 5
Post Date: 2015-11-01 19:48:24 by Hondo68
Keywords: None
Views: 5543
Comments: 32
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The family of Fred Thompson, a well-known U.S. Senator, actor, and attorney, has confirmed the politician has passed away. According to reports, Thompson died after a recurrence of lymphoma at the age of 73. He was known for his acting roles, including playing himself in 1985’s Marie. Other memorable roles included his part in 1987's No Way Out starring Kevin Costner and the part of New York District Attorney Arthur Branch on the television series Law & Order from 2002 to 2007. Thompson, 6-foot-6 with a booming voice and folksy demeanor, appeared in at least 20 motion pictures. Additional credits included In the Line of Fire, The Hunt for Red October, and Cape Fear. By the early 1990s, Thompson said he had become bored with his ten year stint in Hollywood and wanted to go into public service. That's when he headed back to Nashville and launched his Senate campaign. Thompson ran to fill the remaining two years of Al Gore’s U.S. Senate term in Tennessee in 1994. His key prop was a red pickup truck that he used to crisscross the state throughout the campaign. In the end, Thompson captured 60 percent of the vote against then-Democratic Representative Jim Cooper. Thompson was re-elected in 1996 to a full six-year term. Once regarded as a rising star in the Senate, he retired from the seat when his term expired in January 2003, saying he didn't "have the heart" for another term. He announced a bid for president in 2007 but dropped out in 2008 after faring poorly. In 2002, Thompson chose not to run for re-election and took the role of His family released the following 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. Fred once said that the experiences he had growing up in small-town Tennessee formed the prism through which he viewed the world and shaped the way he dealt with life. Fred stood on principle and common sense, and had a deep love for and connection with the people across Tennessee whom he had the privilege to serve in the United States Senate. He enjoyed a hearty laugh, a strong handshake, a good cigar, and a healthy dose of humility. Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of Lawrenceburg, his home. Fred believed that the greatness of our nation was defined by the hard work, faith, and honesty of its people. He had an enduring belief in the exceptionalism of our country, and that America could provide the opportunity for any boy or girl, in any corner of our country, to succeed in life. Our nation has lost a servant, Tennessee has lost a son, and our family has lost its rock. In the days ahead, we ask for prayers of comfort, assurance, and peace.” The son of a car salesman, Thompson was born in Sheffield, Ala., and grew up in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., where he was a star athlete. He was 17 when he married Sarah Lindsey. The couple, who divorced in 1985, lived in public housing for a year as newlyweds. Thompson graduated from Memphis State University in 1964 and earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1967. To pay for school, he worked at a bicycle plant, post office and motel. Thompson went on to become a lawyer in Nashville. In 1969, he became an assistant U.S. attorney, then volunteered in 1972 to work on the re-election campaign of former Republican Sen. Howard Baker. A year later, Baker selected Thompson to be chief minority counsel on the committee investigating the Watergate scandal. Afterward, Thompson returned to Tennessee and represented Marie Ragghianti, the head of the Tennessee Parole Board who was fired in 1977 after exposing a pardon-selling scheme. Ragghianti won reinstatement and her case was made into a 1985 movie titled "Marie," based on the 1983 book "Marie: A True Story," by Peter Maas. The producers asked Thompson to play himself, and the role launched his acting career. Thompson once called the Senate a "remarkable place" but, like Hollywood, said there was "frustration connected with it." Poster Comment: Many said that McCain would by dead soon after the 2008 election. Too bad that didn't happen instead of this. RIP Fred.
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 8.
#7. To: hondo68 (#0)
He was seventy-three. The people croaking off are younger than I am. That means my time is coming.
Everybody's time is coming. The back of our birth certificates could be used as death certificates to save paper and effort to look them up. There has been three times in the last week or so that people have sent me emails of headstones where the dead guy was born in the same month and on the same day is me,and not a single one of those people know what day my birthday is. The photos were all one photo out of a dozen or so other photos lumped together because of interesting scenery. Still,3 in one week by 3 people who don't even know one another and who all live in different states????? Someone please key the Twilight Zone music.
#9. To: sneakypete (#8)
Strange coincidences are more common than we ever realize. Perhaps you're just being a little more observant of these things than you were when you were 20 when you might have only glanced at a gravestone without reading it. Were these the graves of famous people? Is this the time of year for your birthday? Many things could explain a confluence of such unrelated photos without playing the Twilight Zone theme.
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#8. To: rlk (#7)
He was seventy-three. The people croaking off are younger than I am. That means my time is coming.
Replies to Comment # 8.
#14. To: sneakypete (#8)
Still,3 in one week by 3 people who don't even know one another and who all live in different states?????
End Trace Mode for Comment # 8.
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