Former Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman and longtime Mississippi lawmaker Thad Cochran passed away Thursday at 81.

Cochran served more than 45 years in the Senate, before he resigned last April due to health concerns.

Cochran, a Navy veteran, previously served three terms in the House of Representatives before joining the Senate. Cochran chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee at the time of his retirement.

Current Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts in a statement said he treasured Cochran’s friendship, as the two worked on multiple farm bills together.

Roberts called Cochran a “good man and a level-headed legislator, qualities that are becoming scarce in Washington.”

President Donald Trump on Twitter called Cochran a “real Senator with incredible values.”

Cindy Hyde-Smith, then Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture at the time of Cochran’s retirement, was appointed to his Senate spot when he retired.

Hyde-Smith won reelection in 2018, defeating former Ag Secretary Mike Espy in a runoff election.