He had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery and died peacefully at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington with his family by his side, a statement from his office said.
Mr Murtha, the Democrat politician for Pennsylvania, was the chairman of the House of Representatives defence appropriations subcommittee and exercised enormous influence on defence issues.
He became a vocal and influential critic of the Iraq War, despite voting in favour of the war in 2002.
But his growing frustration over the administration's handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an immediate withdrawal of US troops.
"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion," he said.
Mr Murtha's opposition to the Iraq war rattled Washington, where the tall, gruff-mannered congressman enjoyed bipartisan respect for his work on military issues.
On Capitol Hill, Murtha was seen as speaking for those in uniform when it came to military matters.
"Ever since I was a young boy, I had two goals in life – I wanted to be a colonel in the Marine Corps and a member of Congress," Murtha wrote in his 2004 book, "From Vietnam to 9/11," referring to the Sept 11 attacks.
The Pennsylvanian was first elected to the US House of Representatives in February 1974.
[Source:
Telegraph]
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