“New York Has Lost a Giant”: Politicians React to the Death of Mario Cuomo

New York politicians are remembering former three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo as a leader, public servant and friend who loved, and was loved by, New Yorkers.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Chuck Schumer and others expressed their condolences on social media Thursday, just after the elder Cuomo died at the age of 82.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy hailed the former governor as an inspiration, while former mayor Mike Bloomberg called him simply "a friend."

• [NATL-NY] Mario Cuomo, Three-Term Governor, Dies at 82

President Barack Obama also lauded the "Italian Catholic kid from Queens" for his life of public service in "the state he loved." And President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement that Cuomo's life was "the embodiment of the American dream."

Cuomo died Thursday evening following weeks of reports that he was ailing, and just hours after his son, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was inaugurated for his second term.

Here are some of the responses on Twitter to the former governor's death.

Tonight, New York has lost a giant. Mario Cuomo was a man of unwavering principle who possessed a compassion for humankind without equal.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) January 2, 2015