Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards is in hospice care Monday night.
The former governor stopped breathing at 7:00 this morning, surrounded by his wife Trina and son Eli, his hospice nurse Peggy Gautreau, and other close family and friends, Honeycutt said.
Among Edwards’ last words were, “I have lived a good life, had better breaks than most, had some bad breaks, too, but that’s all part of it. I tried to help as many people as I could and I hope I did that, and I hope, if I did, that they will help others, too. I love Louisiana and I always will.”
The 93-year-old placed himself in hospice care at his home in Gonzales after a trip to St. Elizabeth Hospital on Sunday because of pain he was having in his right lung according to a press release.
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“His blood oxygen and blood pressure were both low,” said his wife Trina Edwards. “We made the decision to go the hospital out of an abundance of caution. His strength has been failing in recent weeks but Edwin has always rallied back in the past and we’re praying for that again.”
“While people assume that hospice means I’m dying, I assure everyone it’s simply a matter of good and convenient care that is less trouble for everybody,” Edwards said. “I’ve made no bones that I have considered myself on borrowed time for 20 years and we each know that all this fun has to end at some point.”
Edwards served four terms as governor from 1972 to 1980, ‘84 to ‘88, and again from ‘92 to ‘96.
Edwards spent time in federal prison following a 2000 conviction for his role in a bribery scheme involving riverboat casino licenses.