WASHINGTON -- John Warner was a powerful figure in the U.S. Senate, a centrist Republican whose influence was key in military affairs.
But before all that, he became famous as the sixth husband of movie star Elizabeth Taylor.
They met on a blind date when the British ambassador asked Warner to escort Taylor to an embassy dinner for Queen Elizabeth.
They married months later, and crowds swarmed Warner's senate campaign for a glimpse of his wife.
The marriage didn't last — Taylor wasn't used to feeling isolated while Warner focused on politics. Eventually, they drifted apart. But both remained friends after their divorce.
Warner, a centrist Republican who served as Navy secretary and represented Virginia as one of the Senate’s most influential military experts, died at 94, his longtime chief of staff said Wednesday.
Warner was married to Taylor when he was elected to the Senate in 1978, and went on to serve five terms before retiring from the chamber in 2008.
