WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Harry Reid is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol as colleagues and friends pay tribute to a hardscrabble Democrat who served five terms in the Senate.

In a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda — which was closed to the public under COVID-19 protocols — current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer remembered Reid as "one of the most generous and incredible people" he's ever met.

"Few have shaped the workings of this building quite like our friend from Nevada," Schumer said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remembered the longtime lawmaker from tiny Searchlight, Nevada, as being "defined by defying long odds."

President Joe Biden made a surprise stop at the Capitol to pay his respects.

Reid died on Dec. 28 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 82. Family and friends honored Reid at a funeral service in Las Vegas over the weekend. Biden was among those in attendance.

Reid rose from poverty in a dusty Nevada mining town to the most powerful position in the U.S. Senate. He was first elected as a senator in 1986. Including two terms in the House, Reid was the longest-serving Nevadan in Congress.