Fred Thompson, Former U.S. Senator, Actor Dies at 73

Former United States Senator, one-time Republican presidential candidate and longtime ”Law and Order” star Fred Thompson died Sunday at the age of 73, the Nashville Tennessean reported.

In a statement sent to the paper, his family wrote that Thompson, a brother, husband, father and grandfather died peacefully in Nashville surrounded by his family. According to the statement, he died after a recurrence of lymphoma.

Born in Alabama, Thompson grew up in Tennessee, where after attending Memphis State University, he earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1967. Thompson served on the Watergate Committee in 1973 where his question on the existence of a taping system inside the White House played a pivotal role in the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Thompson then returned to private law practice and came back to politics in 1994, filling a U.S. Senate seat vacated by Al Gore. He explored a presidential run in 2008 but dropped out in Late January. As quoted in the Tennessean, Thompson wrote in his book, “Teaching the Pig to Dance: A Memoir of Growing Up and Second Chances,” that his failed candidacy was the first time in his life he couldn’t accomplish what he set out to do.

His acting career began in 1985 in the film “Marie”, where he played himself. The movie was based on the case of Marie Rigghianti, who was successfully represented by Thompson in a wrongful termination suit. He also appeared in ”The Hunt for Red October”, “Die Hard 2” and “Cape Fear”.

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