The body of former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar will lie in state in the Illinois State Capitol Rotunda on Friday, and a memorial service will be held the following day.

Edgar died on Sunday from complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 79 years old.

While his body will lie in state at the state capitol rotunda in Springfield, visitors may sign a memorial book and pay their last respects between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19.

Memorial services for Edgar will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Central Baptist Church in Springfield. The services will be live-streamed.

Edgar, a lifelong Republican, first entered Illinois state politics as a young man in 1968. He first served as a legislative intern with the staff of Illinois Senate President Pro Tempore W. Russell Arrington, who was described on Edgar's website as his "first and most influential mentor."

Edgar ran unsuccessfully for Illinois House of Representatives in 1974, but ran again and won in 1976. He was reelected in 1978.

Early in 1981, after Illinois Secretary of State Alan Dixon was elected to the U.S. Senate, Edgar was appointed to fill the vacancy. He was elected to full terms in that office in 1982 and 1986, and was credited with a crackdown on drunken driving in Illinois in that role.

He also pushed as secretary of state for mandatory car insurance for all drivers.

When Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson decided not to run for a fifth term in 1990, Edgar ran for governor and won — defeating Illinois Attorney General Neil Hartigan, who ran on the Democratic side.

Edgar ran for successfully second term in 1994 — carrying all but one of Illinois' 102 counties.

After leaving office, Edgar founded the Edgar Fellows Program at the University of Illinois to mentor a new generation of public leaders. More than 500 fellows have since participated.