(AP) – A former New York City police detective who was a leader in the fight for the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund has died at age 53.
Detective Luis Alvarez’s death from cancer Saturday was announced by Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea.
Shea tweeted that Alvarez was “an inspiration, a warrior, a friend.”
Alvarez appeared with former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart earlier this month to plead with Congress to extend the compensation fund.
He entered hospice care days later.
His family said in a Facebook post that Alvarez touched many lives by sharing his battle with cancer.
Alvarez was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016.
He blamed his illness on the three months he spent in the rubble of the World Trade Center’s twin towers after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
