Beloved Port Authority cop William Leahy, known for his toughness and tender heart dies of 9/11 cancer

Port Authority Police Officer William Leahy, 49, has died after a long battle with World Trade Center-related cancer, reports Thomas Tracy for the New York Daily News. He responded to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and worked the recovery effort for months.

“(He was) tough as nails and always got the job done,” PAPD Lt. Daniel Rhein said. “At the same time, he would call his mother every day.”

Officer Leahy had surgery last month that was hoped to be life-saving, but it was not to be.

Though sick for years, he never retired from his post at Kennedy Airport.

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