title: FRED THOMPSON DIES AT THE AGE OF 73: We Will Miss His Sense Of Humor And No-Nonsense Style, Like This Message To Michael Moore [Video]
text: Thank you for everything you did to promote conservatism in the United States of America. Godspeed Fred Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, GOP presidential candidate, Watergate attorney and actor who starred on the television drama  Law and Order,  died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 73.Mr. Thompson died after a recurrence of lymphoma, according to a prepared statement issued by the Thompson family. Mr Thompson, who had recently purchased a house in Nashville to return to Tennessee, was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004. It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of grief that we share the passing of our brother, husband, father, and grandfather who died peacefully in Nashville surrounded by his family,  the Thompson family s statement reads. Fred once said that the experiences he had growing up in small-town Tennessee formed the prism through which he viewed the world and shaped the way he dealt with life,  his family said.  Fred stood on principle and common sense, and had a deep love for and connection with the people across Tennessee whom he had the privilege to serve in the United States Senate. He enjoyed a hearty laugh, a strong handshake, a good cigar, and a healthy dose of humility. Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of Lawrenceburg, his home. ]Here is Fred Thompson explaining  Federalism.  It would be great if this video was mandatory viewing for every student in grades K-12:Standing at least 6 feet, 5 inches with a booming voice, Mr. Thompson and his larger-than-life persona played a role in several key moments that shaped the U.S. and Tennessee political landscape.As an attorney, he helped lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. As an actor, he starred in some of the most prominent films and television series of his time. And as a politician, he served the state of Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1994 to 2003, before making a brief run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.Here is our favorite Fred Thompson clip, where he brilliantly  responds to Michael Moore s  Sicko  letter: Today Tennessee lost a talented and admired statesman and many of us lost a beloved friend,  said former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, whose Senate term overlapped with Mr. Thompson s time in Washington.  Working at his side in the Senate for eight years, Fred embodied what has always been the best of Tennessee politics   he listened carefully and was happy to work across the aisle for causes that he believed were right. Via: The Tennesseean 