Kenneth "Buddy" MacKay, Florida's most recent Democratic governor who took office on the death of Gov. Lawton Chiles, has died at age 91.

A celebration honoring former Florida Gov. Buddy MacKay will be held next Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 1 p.m. at Fort King Presbyterian Church in Ocala. That’s according to the Ocala Star Banner. A reception will follow the service,

Former Florida Gov. Kenneth “Buddy” MacKay, 91, died peacefully during an afternoon nap at his home in Ocala surrounded by his wife and sons on New Year’s Eve, a family spokesman said Thursday.

Former Gov. Buddy MacKay, a long-time Florida politician who became governor for nearly a month following the abrupt death of Gov. Lawton Chiles in late 1998, died in his sleep on Tuesday afternoon surrounded by his adult sons and wife,

TALLAHASSEE - Buddy MacKay, who lost to Jeb Bush for Florida governor in 1998 but still served 23 days in office after the sudden death of Gov. Lawton Chiles later that year, has died. He was 91.

John Kennedy, Florida Capital Bureau reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper, spoke with FOX 35's Garrett Wymer about covering Buddy MacKay and how history will remember him. MacKay, 91, died on New Year's Eve at his home in Ocala.