Russell Long, the Democratic Louisiana Senator who spent more than four decades in the world’s most exclusive club, died Friday of an apparent heart attack. He was 84.

Known for his folksy, down-home mien and sweeping knowledge of tax arcana, Long helmed the Finance Committee from 1965 to 1981. He retired from the chamber in 1986.

The son of slain populist Sen. Huey P. Long (D-La.), Long was the only Senator to share the title with both parents. His mother, the former Rose McConnell (D), served out the remainder of his father’s term after he was assassinated in 1935.

An alumnus of Louisiana State University, Long earned a law degree from that institution in 1942.

He is survived by his second wife, Carolyn, two daughters, a brother and sister.

— Bree Hocking