Long-serving Democratic leader Carl Levin, who strenuously opposed the Iraq War while fighting corporate fraud, has died at age 87, his family said late on Thursday.
Eve Johnson reports.
Michigan's longest serving senator Carl Levin has died at age 87.
The Democratic leader had been battling lung cancer.
His family on Thursday announced that he passed away in Detroit, surrounded by loved ones.
Levin was first elected to the Senate in 1978 and proceeded to serve in his position for 36 years.
He was among the most liberal members of the Senate, known for his rumpled appearance and a habit of wearing his glasses at the end of his nose.
He made a name for himself fighting corporate fraud, including the Enron scandal in the early 2000s.
Investors lost billions of dollars when the Texas energy company collapsed Levin called a hearing with members of the board and told them "you're the captain of the ship that went down," blaming them for not taking stronger action.
Levin was also an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq.
In 2002 he voted against authorizing the use of force, calling on President Bush to push for a tougher U.N.
Weapons inspection program, instead.
In 2013, Levin announced he would not be seeking re-election, saying "it's been a long and wonderful run."
We're looking back at the life of US Senator Carl Levin a day after his death at 87 from lung cancer.
Carl Levin, the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Michigan’s history, has died. Levin was 87.
