ATLANTA — John Lewis is being remembered by Georgia and national leaders as a giant of the civil rights movement. 

The longtime Georgia congressman died Friday at the age of 80. The Democrat was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in December but was determined to run again for his congressional seat saying in March he “never considered not running.”

The Alabama native spent more than three decades in the U.S. House — often called the conscience of Congress. Lewis was a leader in the Democratic party and revered by many Republicans. He made his mark in history as a prominent figure in the civil rights movement. As a young activist, he faced violence — Lewis was beaten as a Freedom Rider in 1961 and in 1965 was bludgeoned in Selma on “Bloody Sunday.”

Accompanying Dr. Martin Luther King, Lewis spoke at the March on Washington in 1963.

Lewis was reelected to the U.S. House 16 times and became a champion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Last year, he held the gavel when the act was re-upped by the Democratic House after being gutted by the Supreme Court.

Speaker of the U.S. House Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis’ death in a statement, saying “America mourns the loss of one of the greatest heroes of American history.

“John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation – from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides,” she said, “to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence and death on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years.”

Lewis died at a time when the country was again seeing an upheaval of civil unrest. Protests and riots broke out across the country in response to the death of George Floyd — tensions already high from the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Georgia’s own Ahmaud Arbery earlier this year.

Lewis who was known for his peaceful activism which he coined “good trouble,” addressed the protests and called for an end to the violence.

“To the rioters here in Atlanta and across the country: I see you, and I hear you. I know your pain, your rage, your sense of despair and hopelessness,” he said in a statement. “Justice has, indeed, been denied for far too long. Rioting, looting, and burning is not the way. Organize. Demonstrate. Sit-in. Stand-up. Vote. Be constructive, not destructive. History has proven time and again that non-violent, peaceful protest is the way to achieve the justice and equality that we all deserve.”

Former President Barack Obama said in a statement that Lewis “loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise.”

Not many of us get to live to see our own legacy play out in such a meaningful, remarkable way,” he said. “John Lewis did. And thanks to him, we now all have our marching orders — to keep believing in the possibility of remaking this country we love until it lives up to its full promise.”

Georgians grieved the loss of the state’s beloved congressman throughout the weekend. Dozens of the state’s politicians and leaders — Democrat and Republican alike — released statements on the legacy that Lewis left behind.

“Congressman John Lewis was America’s greatest champion in the fight for justice and equality, and showed us all how to put the people first,” Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, said. “His legacy of Good Trouble will ring on in generations to follow, a guiding light for those continuing to march toward a more righteous future.”

The Rev. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s church, said the world lost a “giant.”

“The hero of Bloody Sunday fought for our voice and our vote. For that he will be kindly remembered by history, his deeds etched in eternity,” Warnock, who is also running for Congress, said. “Our lives are richer and better because John Lewis passed our way.”

Lewis’ impact across the aisle may be best reflected by his friendship with former GOP Congressman Johnny Isakson. The two shared an embrace on the floor of Congress during Isakson’s retirement remarks that, Isakson said, represents “how things can really change.”

“I am terribly saddened by the loss of a great man,” Isakson said in a statement. “(Rep. John Lewis) was a man of faith, who fought every battle with dignity, including his last. His legacy and the lessons he leaves behind have touched us all, and my prayers are with all who loved him.”

Senior U.S. Sen. David Perdue, who also served with Lewis, said “no one embodied the word ‘courage’ better than John Lewis.

“As a civil rights icon, John inspired millions of Americans to fight injustice and reject the status quo. Without a doubt, his wisdom and resolve made the world a better place,” he said. “Bonnie and I join the nation in sending heartfelt prayers to John’s loved ones during this difficult time. We hope they find comfort in knowing he is at peace and that his legacy will live on for generations to come.”

During the weekend, Georgia Democrats began the hasty process of appointing a successor to run for the 5th District congressional seat. The party is required to submit a nominee to the Secretary of State’s office by 4:30 p.m. Monday. After opening a brief window for online applications Saturday, the party already had 131 applicants which an executive committee will pick from Monday.

The top five candidates are Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia Nikema Williams, State Rep. Park Cannon, Atlanta City Councilman Andres Dickens, Former Morehouse College President Robert Franklin and President of the Georgia NAACP Rev. James Woodall.