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Former U.S. Sen. Jake Garn and Sen. Orrin Hatch saluted their friend and former colleague John Glenn on Thursday.
In a telephone interview, Garn said that Glenn became his closest friend in the Senate after they were sworn in together in 1975.
Both men were military pilots and had a lot in common, Garn recalled. After Garn's 1985 spaceflight, Glenn gave him a big hug and said, "Now my friend is an astronaut."
Despite Glenn's fame, he remained a down-to-earth guy, Garn said.
"The biggest compliment I can give anyone is that he never got a big head and was always nice to everyone," Garn said.
Hatch also regarded Glenn fondly.
"With the passing of John Glenn, America has lost a hero and I have lost a dear friend," Hatch said in a news release Thursday.
As an astronaut, Glenn captured the imagination of a nation with courage and resourcefulness during his pioneering spaceflight, Hatch said.
"As a patriot, he answered the call of public service, becoming a voice of reason and a champion of bipartisanship in the Senate," Hatch said. "From his iconic voyages into the final frontier to his numerous achievements in government, John leaves to a grateful nation a legacy that ranks among the greatest of his era."