Punk not dead http://slvrdlphn.com/vitaslim-light-8fc9.pdf vitaslim garcia Byrd died Tuesday morning at the age of 98. He was the oldest living former senator. Byrd started his political career as a state senator and as a Democrat. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1965 to take over his father's seat. He served until 1983.