Article V to Restore Freedom and Stop Runaway Government. Coburn was affiliated with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, consulting on the institute's Project FDA, an effort to promote faster drug approval processes. He also sat on the board of the Benjamin Rush Institute, a conservative association of medical students across 20 medical schools. In 2016, he became a Manhattan Institute senior fellow. Awards In 2013, Coburn received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by the Jefferson Awards. Personal life Despite their stark ideological differences, Coburn was a close friend of President Barack Obama. Their friendship began in 2005 when they both arrived in the Senate at the same time. They worked together on political ethics reform legislation, to set up an online federal spending database and to crack down on no-bid contracting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In April 2011, Coburn spoke to Bloomberg TV about Obama, saying, "I love the man. I think he's a neat man. I don't want him to be president, but I still love him. He is our President. He's my President. And I disagree with him adamantly on 95% of the issues, but that doesn't mean I can't have a great relationship. And that's a model people ought to follow." Before the 2009 BCS game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators, Coburn made a bet over the outcome of the game with Florida Senator Bill Nelson—the loser had to serenade the winner with a song. The Gators defeated the Sooners and Coburn sang Elton John's "Rocket Man" to Nelson, who had once flown into space. Illness and death In November 2013, Coburn made public that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2011, he had prostate cancer surgery while also surviving colon cancer and melanoma. The results caused Coburn to resign from the senate in 2014. Coburn died at his home in Tulsa on March 28, 2020, exactly two weeks after his 72nd birthday. A memorial service to honor his life was held a year later on May 1, 2021, at South Tulsa Baptist Church. Electoral history Books (with John Hart) (with John Hart) See also Physicians in the United States Congress References External links Voices of Oklahoma interview. First person interview conducted on May 4, 2016, with