Comedian Jon Stewart hugs an NYPD officer as U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) looks on, at the funeral of Luis Alvarez, a former New York City police detective who was diagnosed with cancer after working at Ground Zero, in New York, U.S., July 3, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Former "Daily Show" host and activist Jon Stewart attended the funeral Wednesday for 9/11 first-responder Luis Alvarez, who died Saturday due to health complications from months spent at the World Trade Center site.

Alvarez Pleaded With Congress Just Last Month

Alvarez, a retired NYPD bomb squad detective, was on Capitol Hill in June pleading with Congress to keep the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund replenished.

The fund is set to expire next year, according to TMZ, which adds that Alvarez' goal was to make sure Congress continued to help first responders.

Stewart Continues His Activism

Stewart, who was next to Alvarez during that much-publicized meeting with Congress, admonished the panel for not doing enough for 9/11 survivors.

The Hill says Alvarez was 53 when he died after fighting colon cancer for three years.

The Hill adds that a wake was held in Long Island on Tuesday.

Alvarez: 'I Will Not Stand By'

"I will not stand by and watch as my friends with cancer from 9/11, like me, are valued less than anyone else because of when they get sick, they die," Alvarez was quoted as saying to Congress.

Alvarez had spoken before Congress several times while he was sick to make sure the compensation fund continued to provide care for first-responders.

Family Lawyer: He Won This Battle

Now This writes that Matthew McCauley, the Alvarez' family lawyer, told the family that Alvarez had already done so much to help the victims of 9/11.

"We told him at the end that he had won this battle by the many lives he had touched by sharing his three-year battle," McCauley said.