in a written statement . `` As the world now knows , his efforts and exploits helped repel an invader , liberate a people and bring the Cold War to a close . After the Soviets left , Charlie kept fighting for the Afghan people and warned against abandoning that traumatized country to its fate -- a warning we should have heeded then , and should remember today . '' `` Charlie Wilson led a life that was oversized even by Hollywood 's standards , '' said Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a statement . `` Congressman Wilson was fiercely devoted to serving his country and his fellow Texans . '' `` Charlie was a man of courage and conviction who worked hard , loved his country , and lived life to the fullest , '' said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey , D-Wisconsin . `` We will miss him . '' Tom Hanks portrayed the flamboyant congressman in the 2007 movie `` Charlie Wilson 's War , '' based on the book by George Crile . The book and the film told the story of Wilson 's efforts to get weapons to Mujahedeen fighters after Soviets invaded
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Democratic Rep. Charles Wilson of Texas , whose support for anti-Soviet forces in Afghanistan inspired the 2007 movie `` Charlie Wilson 's War , '' died Wednesday at age 76 . The 12-term congressman , who served the state 's second congressional district , had been in a meeting Wednesday morning with a friend when he complained of difficulty breathing , said Yana Ogletree , a spokeswoman for Memorial Medical Center in Lufkin . The two men were heading to the hospital when they passed an emergency medical services vehicle on the side of the road and stopped for help , she said . Paramedics took Wilson to the hospital emergency room , where he was pronounced dead , she said . Wilson , who had undergone a heart transplant at Methodist Hospital in Houston in September 2007 , moved back to Lufkin when he retired from Congress in 1997 after having served since 1973 , she said . `` I had the unforgettable experience of knowing Congressman Wilson when I was at CIA and he was working tirelessly on behalf of the Afghan resistance fighting the Soviets , '' said Defense Secretary Robert Gates