Longtime Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., died Thursday at the age of 81, according to his successor’s office.

Cochran, who retired in April 2018 after representing the Magnolia State in Congress for more than 45 years, died Thursday morning in Oxford, Miss., Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s office said in a statement. His retirement came after a series of health concerns, including a urological procedure that required him to miss about a month of work last year.