LONDON – British politician John Prescott, a former merchant seaman who rose to the position of Deputy Prime Minister, has died at the age of 86.

Prescott’s family announced his death Thursday. They said the politician, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, died peacefully in a care home on Wednesday with loved ones around him.

The family said Prescott “spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment.”

For a decade, Prescott brought grit, humor and working-class authenticity to the government of the young, shiny Tony Blair, who became prime minister in 1997.

“He was one of the most talented people I have ever met in politics, one of the most dedicated and loyal and certainly the most unusual,” Blair said.

An amateur boxer in his youth, Prescott was a combative politician who memorably punched a man who threw an egg at him during the 2001 general election.

The revolt briefly looked like it might damage the party and Prescott’s career. But Blair’s response – “John is John” – cemented his popular status.

Prescott entered politics through the trade union movement – a once common path that became less common after Blair renamed the left-wing party “New Labour” and shifted its politics towards the centre.

He was a proud figure of the working class in a country that still has few from this background at the top of politics. He unapologetically enjoyed the finer things in life and was nicknamed “Two Jags” by the press because he owned two Jaguar luxury cars.

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Prescott was Blair’s deputy from 1997 to 2007. One of his proudest achievements was working with then US Vice President Al Gore on the landmark 1997 Kyoto Protocol climate change agreement.

Gore said he had “never worked with anyone in politics — on my side of the pond or his — like John Prescott.”

“He fought like hell to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol and was a staunch champion of climate action for decades to come. I am forever grateful to John for that commitment to solving the climate crisis and will miss him as a dear friend,” Gore said in a statement.

Prescott represented his hometown of Hull in the north of England for four decades. After Labor lost power in 2010, he was appointed to the unelected upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords.

Former Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Prescott was a true working-class hero.

“He wanted the good things in life for everyone and not just for himself,” Brown said. “And he showed that Britain can be a country where, if you work hard, you can fulfill your potential.”

He is survived by his wife Pauline and sons Johnathan and David.