State Sen. Anthony R. Bucco, a Morris County Republican who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1998, has died.  He was 81. Bucco has been a fixture in politics for more than 40 years, since winning a seat on the Boonton Board of Alderman in 1977.  He served as mayor, freeholder, and assemblyman before ousting State Sen. Gordon MacInnes (D-Morris Township) in 1997.

He was the Senate Majority Leader from 2002 to 2004, during a time when Republicans and Democrats shared a 20-20 control of the State Senate. “It is with great sadness I share that Senator Tony Bucco suffered a major heart attack this morning at his home.  He passed peacefully this evening with his family by his side at Saint Clare’s Hospital in Denville,” said Michael DuHaime, a spokesman for the Bucco family.  “The family kindly asks for privacy at this time.”