John Warner, longtime US senator from Virginia, dies at 94

Former Senator John Warner, who represented Virginia in the US Senate for three decades, has died, a former staff member told CNN. He was 94.

Warner died peacefully on Tuesday evening of heart failure, surrounded by his wife Jeanne Warner and other family members, the former staff member said.

Warner served in the US Navy during World War II and the Marines during the Korean War. He later served as secretary of the Navy and as a Republican US senator from 1979 through 2009.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Warner was first elected to the Senate in 1978 and would serve five terms before retiring in 2009. His military experience led him to be one of the most respected voices in Washington on military and national security issues, serving as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Before life as a politician, Warner was 17 when he enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He later served as a US Marine in the Korean War.

He served as secretary of the Navy for the Nixon administration from 1972 to 1974.