• Fred Thompson starred in "Law and Order."

Fred Thompson starred in "Law and Order." (Photo : Twitter/@Variety)


Senator Fred Thompson has passed away at the age of 73.


According to Cinema Blend, Senator Thompson had passed away on Nov. 1 because of recurrence of lymphoma. The publication added that he had been circled by his family at his home in Nashville and was survived by his children and his wife, Jeri Thompson.

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In his interview with The Wrap, United Senator Lamar Alexander, who succeeded Senator Thompson as a Tennessee senator, said that very few people could light up the room the way Fred Thompson did. He had used his magic as a lawyer, actor, Watergate counsel, and U.S. senator to become one of the country's most principled and effective public servants.

For Alexander, Senator Thompson had been his friend for almost 50 years and he would miss him greatly. He also sent his family's love and sympathy to the Thompson family.

Regarded as an iconic Republican senator and a political figure in the roles he had played, Senator Thompson's career as an actor had risen from his first work on the Marie Ragghianti case. Ragghianti is the previous head of the Board of Pardons and Paroles in Tennessee.

Ragghianti had been unjustly removed from her appointment following her refusal to release prisoners who had bribed Tennessee's governor for their independence, but Senator Thompson stood as her lawyer and had helped fight and win her case.

The incident caught the attention of the eyes of the people in Hollywood. Senator Thompson was then cast as himself in the cinematic adaptation of the proceedings, entitled "Marie," which was helmed by director Roger Donaldson. He also played the role of the CIA director in Donaldson's 1987 action crime film "No Way Out."

Senator Thompson is also known for his roles in Renny Harlin's 1990 action thriller "Die Hard 2," Dick Wolf's crime mystery series "Law & Order," Scott Derrickson's horror mystery "Sinister," and Michael Polish's drama film "90 Minutes In Heaven."

Overall, film lovers have seen Senator Thompson as an authority figure not only in Hollywood, but also in Washington D.C., that his legacy as an actor will be ineradicable. Best wishes to Senator Thompson's family and friends.