Former ‘Gang of Four’ Congressman Charlie Rangel Dies at 94

Charlie Rangel, the longtime Democratic congressman from Harlem and last surviving member of the storied “Gang of Four” coalition, has died at 94.

The City College of New York (CCNY) confirmed his passing on Monday, noting his long career in Congress and legacy.

“He served for 23 terms in the House of Representatives and was cited as the most effective lawmaker in Congress, leading all of his colleagues in passing legislation,” CCNY noted in its tribute. “He was the primary sponsor of President Obama’s historic health care reform law.”

First elected in 1971 after toppling incumbent Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Rangel was a core member of Harlem’s “Gang of Four” alongside David Dinkins, Percy Sutton, and Basil Paterson. Rangel went on to become chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in 2007.

Among his legislative achievements is the Empowerment Zone program, the Affordable Care Act, and the “Rangel Amendment,” which helped sever U.S. ties with apartheid South Africa. But Rangel’s reach was also cultural.

In a tribute posted on Monday as the news

broke, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Rangel as a “patriot” and “trailblazer.”

In a statement to ABC News, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled marching and being arrested alongside Rangel: “Black excellence in Harlem, in New York, and in the United States survived because of the work Charlie and his cohorts did to keep it alive.”

This is a breaking story.