Charlie Wilson, a former US lawmaker who championed covert CIA support for Afghan fighters battling Soviet troops in the 1980s, died of a heart attack Wednesday at the age of 76, the hospital said.

Wilson, sometimes dubbed "Goodtime Charlie" because of his hard-partying ways, succumbed to a heart attack at 12:16 pm (1816 GMT), said Memorial Health System of East Texas spokeswoman Yana Ogletree.

The Texas Democrat, who sat on a key House subcommittee, spearheaded vast funding increases for CIA efforts to help Afghan mujahedeen fighting Soviet occupation forces after the 1979 invasion.

A movie adaptation of a book chronicling his efforts starred Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks as Wilson and Julia Roberts as the Houston socialite Joanne Herring who helped him win support for the ambitious secret war.

Source: AFP