ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former Sen. John W. Warner of Virginia has died at the age of 94.

He was a former Navy secretary who was once married to movie star Elizabeth Taylor when he first ran for the senate in 1978. He held onto the seat for 30 years.

His longtime chief of staff said he died Tuesday of heart failure at home in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife and daughter at his side.

Warner was a centrist Republican and powerful chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee who supported the war in Iraq.

He also had an independent streak and drew support from moderates on both sides of America's political divide.