Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings, a civil rights activist who was appointed to the Florida federal bench by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, has passed away at the age of 84, CNN reports.

Hastings' chief of staff, Lale M. Morrison, confirmed the news Tuesday (April 6) morning.

The late congressman had been battling pancreatic cancer since 2019.

As the longest-serving member of Florida's congressional delegation, Hastings began serving in the US House of Representatives in 1993 and has been a member of the House Rules Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus.

After hearing of his death, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mourned his passing with the words, "All who knew Alcee knew him as a champion for the most vulnerable in our nation."

She continued, "As an attorney, civil rights activist and judge, and over his nearly thirty years in Congress, he fought tirelessly to create opportunities to lift up working families, communities of color, children and immigrants." 

Hastings' family released a statement regarding his death on Tuesday, saying: "He lived a life of triumph over adversity and his brilliance and compassion was felt amongst his constituents, colleagues, the nation and the world ... He will be dearly missed but his legacy and fighting spirit will forever live on."

With the loss of Hastings, the current House count is 218 Democrats to 211 Republicans and as of Tuesday, there are six vacancies.