The White House said the nation has "lost a great public servant and true patriot."

Former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms died early Friday of natural causes at the age of 86. Funeral arrangements are pending.

The conservative first became known to North Carolina voters as a newspaper and TV commentator. He was elected to the Senate in 1972, and decided not to run for a sixth term in 2002. As he got older, he was slowed by a variety of illnesses, including prostate cancer.

In the Senate, where he chaired the Foreign Relations Committee, his opposition to Communism defined his foreign policy views. He rejected a lot of arms control treaties, and opposed Fidel Castro at every turn. He supported the contras in Nicaragua, but not the Panama Canal treaties that Jimmy Carter pushed through the Senate.

His habit of blocking nominations and legislation earned him the nickname "Senator No."

In his later years in the Senate, he sometimes opted for compromise. And he softened his views on AIDS after years of clashes with gay activists -- advocating greater federal funding to fight AIDS overseas.

But in his memoirs, he made it clear his opinions on other issues hadn't softened. He compared abortion to the Holocaust and the 9/11 attacks.

'Helms Was Larger Than Life'

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who succeeded Helms in North Carolina, on Friday said she and her husband were saddened to learn of Helms' passing.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his precious wife Dot and their family," she said in a statement.

“In succeeding Jesse to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, I knew I could never replace him, but I continue to strive each day to provide the dedicated constituent service he provided the people of our state for 30 years. As my father would say, Jesse was indeed a ‘watchdog’ for North Carolina and for the nation.”

Former North Carolina GOP Rep. Bill Cobey, chairman of The Jesse Helms Center, said, "He stood by the things that he believed in, and the incredible thing (that) was so wonderful about him is that he never, whether you agreed with him or not on issues, it never affected his personal relationship with you. He believed he had a right to stand for what he believed in, and he believed you did, too."

North Carolina Democratic Gov. Mike Easley also praised Helms, saying, "Whether you liked his politics or not, Jesse Helms was a national force able to deliver for his constituents," reported WXII12-TV.

The television station also quoted North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Linda Daves as saying, "Jesse Helms was larger than life, and it is entirely fitting that he would join founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and John Adams as making his last day the Fourth of July."