Democrat Daniel Inouye, the current longest-serving member of the US Senate, died Monday at age 88, his office and a top senator said.

"Our friend Daniel Inouye just died," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor.

His last words were "Aloha," Inouye's office said in a statement.

Inouye (pic) who had been hospitalized in recent weeks with respiratory problems, had represented Hawaii in the Senate since 1962, earning the title president pro tempore -- the designation for the chamber's longest-serving member.

Inouye, a decorated World War II veteran, was third in line for the presidency.