RIP: Alaska Republican Congressman Don Young dead at 88.

His wife, Anne, was by his side, his office said in statement.

“It’s with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we announce Congressman Don Young, the Dean of the House and revered champion for Alaska, passed away today while traveling home to Alaska to be with the state and people that he loved,” the statement said.

Young, a Republican and the longest-serving member of Congress, lost consciousness on a flight from Los Angeles to Seattle and couldn’t be resuscitated, said Jack Ferguson, a lobbyist who served as Young’s chief of staff.

“Everyone’s learning about it right at the moment. The phone’s ringing off the hook,” Ferguson said in a phone interview Friday. “I’m sad to lose such a good friend, and a person that I’ve known all his political career.”

Young, a Republican, had served in Congress since 1973, when he was sworn in after winning a special election.

Sean Treande of Real Clear Politics tweets that “Young once stuck his hand in a bear trap during a congressional hearing to demonstrate they were not unduly painful. They don’t make ’em like that anymore. RIP.”