(CNN) Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, the former senator from South Carolina, has died, according to a statement from his three children. "Our father, Fritz Hollings, was dedicated to his family, the United States Senate and the people of South Carolina. He was so honored to have served the people of this great state in the South Carolina House of Representatives, as lieutenant governor and governor, and as a member of the United States Senate," said his children, Michael Hollings, Helen Hollings Reardon and Ernest Hollings III, in a statement. Andy Brack, a spokesman for Hollings, told CNN the former senator died early Saturday morning of natural causes. Hollings, 97, was a stalwart of South Carolina politics for many decades serving both as governor of the state beginning in 1958 as well as 38 years as a US senator starting in 1966.

Source: CNN April 06, 2019 14:48 UTC