WASHINGTON (WKZO) -- Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow says Hawaii Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye was a cherished colleague, a dear friend and a great mentor.

Stabenow issued a statement following Inouye's death Monday afternoon.  The Senator says she knows he had a special connection with Michigan and was a patient at a hospital in Battle Creek, which is now the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center.

Inouye was the second longest serving Senator in U.S. history, representing the state of Hawaii since 1962.  Daniel Inouye was 88-years-old.