Alan Simpson, an old school moderate Republican senator who helped craft major U.S. immigration reform in 1986 and made friends across the aisle, died on Friday in Cody, Wyoming, his family said in a statement.

Relatives and colleagues remember former GOP Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming as a figure who was "gifted in crossing party lines."

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

A series of events in all 50 states aims to capitalize on a recent warning from Republican leadership that its lawmakers should avoid such public forums.