Johnny Isakson, former Georgia Republican U.S. senator, dies

ATLANTA – Johnny Isakson, an affable Georgia Republican politician who rose from the ranks of the state Legislature to become a U.S. senator, has died. He was 76.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s office confirmed the death in a news release Sunday.

Isakson, whose real estate business made him a millionaire, spent more than three decades in Georgia political life.

In the Senate, he was known as an effective, behind-the-scenes consensus builder. His own views on flashpoint issues such as abortion became more conservative over the years as Georgia’s own politics shifted from blue to red.

In 2015, Isakson disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He remained in office until the end of 2019, retiring two years before his term ended.