Former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards has died aged 93

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Edwards passed away peacefully Monday morning surrounded by family and friends, Leo Honeycutt, a family spokesperson, told CNN. Last week, Edwards was placed in hospice care following a hospital checkup after complaining of “right lung pain,” the statement said.

“I’ve lived a good life, I’ve had better breaks than most, I’ve had bad breaks too, but that’s all part of it. I’ve tried to help as many people as I have. could and I hope I did, and I hope, if I did, that they will help others too. I love Louisiana and will always love it, “Edwards said, according to the statement. .

Trina Scott Edwards remembers her late husband as being “always optimistic”.

“Nothing bothered him except disturbing others. It’s heartbreaking for me because I know he wanted so much to throw Eli’s 8th birthday party on August 1,” she said in a released statement. Monday, referring to the couple’s son.

Born August 7, 1927 in Marksville, Louisiana, Edwards served two consecutive terms as governor from 1972 to 1980. He was elected for a third term in 1983 and a final term in 1991, when he defeated the Ku Klux Klansman David Duke. A former US Navy aviation cadet and lawyer, he began his career as a city councilor and state representative before being elected to Congress and then governor.

In 2001, Edwards was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $ 250,000 for extorting winnings from people who had applied for river casino licenses. He asked for a pardon from then President George W. Bush, but never got one and was released from prison in 2011.
In an effort to make a political comeback in 2014, he announced a candidacy for Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, but lost to Republican Garret Graves in a second round.
After leaving federal prison in 2011, Edwards married his third wife, Trina, who is about 50 years his junior. They starred in a short-lived reality TV show “The Governor’s Wife” on A&E, chronicling Edwards’ life after prison.
In an interview with CNN in 2014, Edwards and his wife discussed his candidacy for Congress. The former governor said he never took taxpayer money.

“In all this bullshit about how crooked I am and what I stole, no one has ever charged me or accused me of taking taxpayer money,” he told CNN. “It had nothing to do with my career as a public official. Nothing.”

His relationship with Trina began as a pen pal while he was in prison, which led to love at first sight when she visited him. “I expected him to be angry or bitter, and he just wasn’t,” she told CNN at the time.

And while Edwards was eager to return to politics, his wife told CNN she didn’t particularly want him to run.

“I would naturally support him in whatever he chose to do,” said Trina Edwards at the time. “But that’s not really my thing.”

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Monday called Edwards “a larger-than-life figure, known for his wit and charm”, adding that he will be remembered as “a compassionate leader who cared about the fate of all Louisianans “.

“Our state has lost a giant and he will be sorely missed. Donna and I extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Trina, his family and everyone who has been fortunate enough to call him a friend and ask everyone to join us in praying to God to comfort them during this difficult time, ”the Democrat said in a statement.

CNN’s Gloria Borger contributed to this report.

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