CHARLESTON, S.C. (WACH / AP) -- Peatsy Hollings, the wife of former South Carolina U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, has died of complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was 77.

Fritz Hollings' office said she died Sunday.

Peatsy Hollings was being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina whose Hollings Cancer Center is named for the former senator.

Charleston native Rita Louise Liddy graduated from the College of Charleston and taught high school government and history for nine years. She joined Hollings' U.S. Senate staff in 1967 as an administrative assistant. She married the senator in 1971, a year after Hollings' marriage to his first wife ended in divorce.

Known for speaking her mind, Peatsy Hollings was a longtime supporter of sex education in public schools, the Equal Rights Amendment and health care reform.

House Assistant Democratic Leader and Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn issued the following statement Monday:

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend, Peatsy Hollings.  She and I became fast friends as members of the young Democrats in South Carolina in the 1960s, and that friendship only grew as the years passed.  She was a very bright light in political life -- sharp but sincere, warm but wary.  Her vibrant personality and her Southern graciousness were undeniable, and she will be sorely missed.  My thoughts and prayers are with her beloved husband and political partner, Fritz Hollings, during this very difficult time." 

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)