Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, a political legend whose quick wit bridged partisan gaps in the years before today’s political acrimony, has died. He was 93. Simpson died early Friday after struggling to recover from a broken hip in December,

Pushing the 1986 immigration reform bill through Congress — his major legislative accomplishment — was like “giving dry birth to a porcupine,” he quipped.

A plain-spoken, sometimes cantankerous lawmaker, he balanced his conservative views with moderate stands on abortion rights, gay marriage and immigration reform.