Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, played by Tom Hanks in the film Charlie Wilson’s War, has died at the age of 76.
Wilson, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, started his political career in 1960 after serving four years in the Navy. He was sworn in as a Texas state representative in 1961. He earned a reputation as a liberal, being pro-choice and supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. He served in the Texas legislature for 12 years before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served 12 terms there, finally resigning in 1996.
Wilson, who earned the nickname “Good Time Charlie” for his out of office escapades, may be best known for his support of Operation Cyclone, the largest CIA covert operation. Operation Cyclone supplied arms to the Afghans during the Soviet war there in the ‘80s. It was this part of his career on which Charlie Wilson’s War focused.
Wilson had received a heart transplant in September 2007. He had been in a meeting yesterday morning when he suffered shortness of breath and was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Viewers of Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch” were not doubt sadden today to hear of the passing of Captain Phil Harris. Harris was the owner and captain of F/V Cornelia Marie, which has been featured in all five seasons of the show and he was a fan favorite. He was often seen butting heads with his sons Jake and Josh, who also worked on the Cornelia Marie. In 2008, the show featured a medical scare for him when it was discovered he had a life threatening blood clot and he was forced to leave his post on the ship.
Harris died Tuesday due to complications of a stroke he suffered on January 29th while his boat was unloading at the Saint Paul Island port. He was 53. Discovery has yet to release a statement saying how Captain Phil’s death will be dealt with in the upcoming season of the show.
(This United States Congress image is in the public domain. This may be because it is an official Congressional portrait, because it was taken by an official employee of the Congress, or because it has been released into the public domain and posted on the official websites of a member of Congress. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.)