New York • A former New York City police detective who was a leader in the fight for the Sept. 11 Victims Compensation Fund died Saturday at age 53.
Detective Luis Alvarez's death from cancer was announced by Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea, who tweeted that Alvarez was "an inspiration, a warrior, a friend."
Alvarez appeared with former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart earlier this month to plead with Congress to extend the compensation fund.
"This fund isn't a ticket to paradise, it's to provide our families with care," a frail Alvarez told a House Judiciary subcommittee on June 11.