Rep. John Murtha Has Died

An "alert" from the Associated Press: "Spokesman for Rep. John Murtha says the Pennsylvania Democrat has died at 77."

We reported last Wednesday that he was in intensive care after complications from gallbladder surgery.

More as the story develops.

Update at 3:15 p.m. ET: NPR's Andrea Seabrook reminds us that Murtha "was known for his hawkish stance on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and then later for his calls for withdrawal from Iraq." And, he was "alleged to have steered huge government contracts to companies that worked with his brother and former staffers."

In December, as the Post-Gazette wrote, "the Office of Congressional Ethics closed its corruption inquiry into ... Murtha and recommended that there be no sanctions against the Johnstown Democrat."

Update at 3:05 p.m. ET: The AP now has considerably more about Murtha and his life here. And CQ Politics has biographical information and background on his southwestern Pennsylvania district. Check in with our colleague Ken Rudin at Political Junkie for more as the day continues.

Update at 2:52 p.m. ET: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, CNN, NPR and other news outlets are also now confirming the news.

And the AP adds some historical information about the congressman:

In 1974, Murtha became the first combat veteran of the Vietnam War elected to Congress. He wielded considerable clout for two decades as a leader of the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending. But frustration over the Iraq war led him to call for an immediate pullout of U.S. troops in 2005.

Murtha's congressional career was clouded by questions about his ethics — from the Abscam corruption probe in 1980 to more recent investigations into the special-interest spending known as earmarks and the raising of cash for election campaigns.