Edwin Edwards, The Former Governor Of Louisiana, Is In Hospice Care

NEW ORLEANS — After being hospitalized Sunday with discomfort in his right lung, former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards, who turns 94 in August, said Tuesday that he had entered hospice care.

The four-term former governor, whose three-decade grip on Louisiana politics was shattered by an eight-year stint in federal prison, minimized the hospice’s end-of-life element.

In a joint statement with his wife, Trina, Edwards stated, “While some believe hospice means I’m dying, I tell everyone it’s only a question of good and convenient care that is less bother for everyone.”

After an emergency ride to St. Elizabeth’s hospital near his house, he made the decision. A series of tests were performed by the doctors there, but none of them revealed anything.

Trina Edwards stated, “His blood oxygen and blood pressure were both low.” “And out of an excess of caution, we decided to go to the hospital. His strength has been ebbing in recent weeks, but Edwin has always recovered, and we’re hoping for it to happen again.”

Edwards, a Democrat, served seven years in Congress and then two terms as governor of Louisiana in the 1970s, during which time he supervised the passage of a new state constitution, appointed a record number of Black individuals to significant posts and fought for an oil tax that boosted state revenue. He was well-liked, with a sharp wit and a colorful lifestyle.

Despite being constitutionally banned from serving a third consecutive term, he won the governorship in 1983 and was re-elected in 1991 after coming up short in 1987. In his fourth term, he was convicted on federal corruption charges stemming from the licensing of riverboat casinos after stepping down from politics. He was always adamant that he had done nothing wrong.

In 2011, he was released from prison with his sharp wit intact. He married Trina Grimes, a jail pen friend, for the third time. He was 83 years old when he died. She was 32 years old at the time. In 2013, they welcomed a boy into the world.

Edwards stated in a statement released Tuesday, “I’ve made no bones about the fact that I’ve considered myself on borrowed time for the past 20 years, and we all know that all this fun has to come to an end at some point.” “However, that isn’t going to happen anytime soon for me.” In fact, I’m organizing a 95th birthday celebration for next summer, and I’m hoping you’ll be able to attend.”