Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar has died at 79 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The two-term governor succumbed to complications related to cancer treatment in Springfield on Sunday morning, his family said in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for the love, support, and kindness so many have shown to Jim and our family over these last several months,” they said. He is survived by his wife Brenda, son Brad, and daughter Elizabeth. Edgar revealed his cancer diagnosis in February, and spoke about it in an interview with Politico. “There have been a lot of breakthroughs in the last five years. The hope is, the longer you keep going, maybe they’ll find that silver bullet. There are some other things I want to do in life,” he said at the time, adding that he was feeling “a little normal” after getting chemotherapy. Edgar was known as a moderate Republican who was fiscally conservative but supported progressive social causes. He told Politico earlier this year that he was trying to focus on spending time with family and friends instead of dwelling on the disease: “And I like to trash Trump some, so there’s a lot of things to keep it off my mind.”
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