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Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell suffers apparent heart attack

Since retiring from public office, Dingell has been a near constant presence on Twitter, offering often comic comments on sports and politics.
Credit: CHUCK KENNEDY, KRT
Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) was reluctant to help Supercar officials secure additional funding for the project. "I'm supposed to be a skeptic," he said, in 2003.

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell suffered an apparent heart attack on Monday morning and was being admitted to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Dingell, 92, is the longest serving member of Congress in its history, serving from 1955 until his retirement in early 2015, and is a former chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. He was replaced in Congress by his wife, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn.

Debbie Dingell put out a statement saying that her husband had apparently had a heart attack and was going to the hospital.

"He's alert and in good spirits," she said, "cracking jokes like always. He's in the process of being admitted to Henry Ford Hospital. Our sincere thanks to all the medical professionals and nurses at our sides. We'll know more later."

Since retiring from public office, Dingell has been a near constant presence on Twitter, offering often comic comments on sports and politics. On Sunday, he was lamenting the Lions in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers, writing, "Beginning to think I could be an NFL kicker."

Contact Todd Spangler at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @tsspangler.

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