Former Alabama senator, Larry Dixon, died last week due to COVID-19 complications, at the age of 78.
What We Know:
- Sen. Dixon, a Republican congressman from Senate District 25, was a former executive director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. Dixon was exposed to the virus at a social gathering “with a couple of guys” about two weeks ago, according to his close friend, Dr. David Thrasher, a pulmonologist from Montgomery.
- Thrasher said he treated Dixon for early COVID-19 symptoms a few days after the gathering. As his condition worsened, Dixon was placed on a ventilator, Thrasher said. It is uncertain how many people attended the event, but the doctor said he knew of two other men who attended and had tested positive.
- Thrasher said Dixon’s wife, Gaynell Dixon, told him of her late husband’s final words, which aimed to warn the public of the lethal effects of the virus. “We messed up. We let our guard down,” Dixon said, according to Thrasher. “Please tell everybody to be careful. This is real, and if you get diagnosed, get help immediately.”
- “I am still in shock,” stated Perry Hooper, a former Alabama state representative, in a statement responding to Sen. Dixon’s death. “He devoted his life to service to this great city. He was a great legislator, a man of great moral character, and a devoted and loving husband and father.”
- The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners said in a statement that it was “forever grateful” for Dixon’s 35 years as executive director. “He set an incredible example of service for us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Gaynell, and his family during this difficult time,” the board members advised.
As of Monday, Alabama had recorded almost 270,000 COVID infections and 3,889 deaths, according to data by Johns Hopkins University. State residents have tested positive at one of the highest rates in the country, a rate of 34.7 percent over the past seven days.
