Former US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Dies at 82

Harry Reid, the former U.S. Senate majority leader, died on Tuesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 82.

Reid's wife of 62 years, Landra, announced the tragic news in a statement.

In 2012, Mitch McConnell, then the Senate's top Republican, described Reid "the worst leader in the Senate ever" while the latter accused McConnell of a breach of faith on an important issue.

Reid's relationship with McConnell was so strained that the Republican leader shunned Reid during crucial U.S. fiscal policy talks and dealt directly with Vice President Joe Biden.

"The nature of Harry's and my jobs brought us into frequent and sometimes intense conflict over politics and policy. But I never doubted that Harry was always doing what he earnestly, deeply felt was right for Nevada and our country. He will rightly go down in history as a crucial, pivotal figure in the development and history of his beloved home state," McConnell said in a written statement.