Bob Dole, longtime GOP leader and war hero, dead at age 98

"It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep," the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's official Twitter account tweeted. "At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years. More information coming soon. #RememberingBobDole."

Dole had told the public earlier in the year that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and was undergoing treatment. The former Kansas GOP senator is survived by his 85-year-old wife, former North Carolina GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

The veteran was seriously wounded during World War II and suffered a series of health ailments in previous years. In 1991, Dole underwent surgery for prostate cancer, received abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery in 2001, was hospitalized in 2005 after a fall at home home, and was treated for a leg infection in 2009.

He received a Congressional Gold Medal in January 2018, making Dole only the eighth senator to be honored with the prestigious award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. "I want to thank all those who've said such kind words about me," Dole said. "They're probably not true, but they were nice."

With an impressive run in politics, Dole was the top-ranking Republican in the Senate for nearly 11 years, a record until Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell beat it.

Dole's unsuccessful bid for president as the Republican nominee against President Bill Clinton in 1996 marked the GOP stalwart's third attempt at the White House.

The three-time presidential hopeful also served as President Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976 after Nelson Rockefeller declined to stay on as vice president.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, Dole alleged that the Commission on Presidential Debates is rigged against former President Donald Trump, saying that even though half of the members are Republican, he is "concerned that none of them support" the 45th president. "The Commission on Presidential Debates is supposedly bipartisan w/ an equal number of Rs and Ds. I know all of the Republicans and most are friends of mine. I am concerned that none of them support @realDonaldTrump," Dole tweeted in October 2020.

"A biased Debate Commission is unfair," Dole added.