WASHINGTON (AP) _ Kansas Senator Sam Brownback says Manute Bol was a man who practiced “true religion” and ultimately “gave his life for his people.”

A funeral was held at Washington National Cathedral Tuesday for the 7-foot-7 former basketball star, who used his celebrity to improve conditions in his native Sudan.

Bol died June 19 at age 47 shortly after returning from Africa. He had contracted a painful skin condition and was suffering from severe kidney problems, but had put off medical care and delayed his return to the U.S. so he could assist with elections in southern Sudan help build schools.

Brownback said Bol modeled what the Bible teaches about investing in the “kingdom of God” and earning treasure in heaven.