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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Washington Edwards died peacefully Monday morning, July 12, 2021.

Edwin was at his home in Gonzales surrounded by family and friends. Louisiana’s only four-term governor expired of respiratory problems that had plagued him in recent years, doctors said.

Edwards was less than a month short of his 94th birthday.

Leo Honeycutt, the Edwards Family Spokesperson, and a well-known biographer, confirmed this information in a press release this morning to WGNO News. If you would like to read the full release, click here.

Mrs. Edwards added, “His last words were to Eli. Eli told him every night, ‘I love you.’ And he told Eli, ‘I love you, too.’ Those were his last words.”

Funeral arrangements are pending, according to the family, but will include lying in state in the rotunda at the Louisiana State Capitol for visitation by the public. The day has not been set.

The Edwards family thanks everyone in the community for their prayers and thoughts.