Harry Reid, the former 5-term US senator from Nevada, has died at 82 following cancer battle

Harry Mason Reid, the former five-term U.S. senator from Nevada who led Senate Democrats for a decade spanning the Bush and Obama presidencies, has died.

Harry Mason Reid, the former five-term U.S. senator from Nevada who led Senate Democrats for a decade spanning the Bush and Obama presidencies, died Tuesday, his wife, Landra Reid, confirmed in a statement. He was 82.

"I am heartbroken to announce the passing of my husband, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He died peacefully this afternoon, surrounded by our family, following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Harry was 82 years old. We were married for 62 years," she said. "We are so proud of the legacy he leaves behind both on the national stage and his beloved Nevada. Harry was deeply touched to see his decades of service to Nevada honored in recent weeks with the re-naming of Las Vegas' airport in his honor. Harry was a devout family man and deeply loyal friend."

Landra Reid thanked the doctors and nurses that cared for her husband over the past several years and said funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.

Reid's more than half a century of public service tracked the arc of American opportunity. From a hardscrabble upbringing in Searchlight, Nevada, Reid rose to become one of the most powerful politicians in the country.