Overview
- His family said he died of cardiac arrest at his San Diego home, with memorial plans pending.
- He spent nearly three decades representing Michigan in the House and Senate after starting as a Republican and switching to Democrat in 1973.
- As chair of the Senate Banking Committee, he pursued reforms after the savings‑and‑loan crisis and later pushed care for veterans with Gulf War illness.
- He led Senate opposition to the NAFTA trade pact, a stance tied to factory job losses in Michigan.
- He was scrutinized in the Keating Five case, and the Senate Ethics Committee said his actions looked improper but broke no laws or rules.