Democratic Congressman John Murtha dead at 77

Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha has died at the age of 77 due to complications from his gallbladder surgery.

John Murtha, a 19-term Pennsylvania Democratic Representative, has died at the age of 77 at the Virginia Hospital Center from complications of gallbladder surgery, according to USA Today. Murtha, who was Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, was hospitalized in recent weeks with a gallbladder infection, reports Politico. Murtha was the first Vietnam War veteran to be elected to Congress in 1974. The Washington Post notes that Murtha was the right-hand man for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and was an influential lawmaker on Capitol Hill.