Colleagues and friends of Raúl M. Grijalva remembered the Arizona congressman Thursday. PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and a slew of members of Congress were among those paying tribute to Arizona Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva Thursday after the announcement of his death at age 77.

Longtime Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. passed away at 77 years old on Thursday after a battle with lung cancer. He was one of the longest-tenured members of Congress in the history of Arizona, serving for more than two decades.

Democratic U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva, who represented Arizona for more than 20 years, died on Thursday at the age of 77 due to complications from cancer treatments, his office said in a statement.