Obama to deliver eulogy at Harry Reid’s funeral

Former President Barack Obama is set to deliver the eulogy at the late Sen. Harry Reid’s funeral next week.

The funeral will be held at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Las Vegas at 11 a.m. on Jan. 8.

Mr. Reid, a prominent Nevada Democrat who served as Senate majority leader, died Tuesday after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 82.

Shortly after his death, Mr. Obama shared a letter he wrote to Mr. Reid during his struggle with cancer. 

The former president said he and others close to Mr. Reid were encouraged by his wife, Landra Reid, to write letters to him while he battled the disease.

Mr. Obama called the former senator “a good friend” and wished him well in his journey, while also celebrating his humble roots.

“As different as we are, I think we both saw something of ourselves in each other — a couple of outsiders who had defied the odds and knew how to take a punch and cared about the little guy. And you know what, we made for a pretty good team,” Mr. Obama wrote in his letter.

Mr. Reid grew up in the Depression-era mining town of Searchlight, Nevada.

He served three decades in Congress, including eight years as Senate majority leader. He retired in 2016 after an accident while exercising left him blind in one eye. 

During his tenure, Mr. Reid helped Mr. Obama pass his signature health care legislation, the Affordable Care Act.

The funeral will be open to family, colleagues and invited guests, Mr. Reid’s office in Las Vegas announced. The service will be livestreamed.

Arrangements for a memorial service in Washington have not been announced.