Dianne Feinstein's cause of death revealed: Democratic Senator, 90, died of ... trends now
Dianne Feinstein died in the early morning hours on Friday at her Washington D.C. home with her daughter Katherine by her side.
The longtime Democratic senator died of natural causes at around 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, her office said.
Just hours before her death, the 90-year-old Feinstein was helped onto the Senate floor for the final public act of her trailblazing career.
The California Democrat, holding onto her aide's arm, slowly raised her hand to vote 'aye' on Thursday morning in a procedural vote for short-term government funding.
Feinstein, wearing a purple pantsuit, walked in without the wheelchair she used in the final months of her 30-year Senate career as her health deteriorated following a bout with shingles.
She raised her hand and voted 'aye.' Then she was escorted out again following her last fleeting appearance in the upper chamber.
Feinstein subsequently missed two Senate votes in the afternoon.
But later on Thursday she was photographed at home in Washington D.C. with former California congresswoman Jane Harman.
In the last known photograph of her Senator Feinstein was pictured at home in Washington D.C. on Thursday night with former California congresswoman Jane Harman
Just hours before her death, 90-year-old Dianne Feinstein was helped onto the Senate floor for the final act of her trailblazing career. The California Democrat, holding onto her aide's arm, slowly raised her hand to vote 'aye' on Thursday morning in a procedural vote for short-term government funding
Feinstein's daughter Katherine (above) was at her side when she died
Harman told MSNBC that she visited Feinstein's home around 5 p.m. on Thursday and they visited for an hour.
'Dianne seemed in good health, frail as she has been for a while,' Harman said.
Feinstein's death was announced by her office on Friday. Tearful colleagues returned to the Senate floor on Friday morning to pay tribute to the first female mayor of San Francisco and California's longest-serving senator.
Her daughter Katherine was in the gallery alongside Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, a fellow California lawmaker and friend of the family, as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle remembered the late senator as a political powerhouse who broke through gender barriers.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer led senators in a moment of silence and a vase of white roses sat on Feinstein's desk, which was draped in a black cloth.
'There are few women who can be called senator, chairman, mayor, wife, mom and grandmother,' her chief of staff James Sauls said in a statement. 'Senator Feinstein was a force of nature who made an incredible impact on our country and her home state.'
The longtime Democratic senator had suffered from health issues in the past year, including a case of shingles that kept her away from the Senate for a month. She also fell at her San Francisco home in August and was briefly hospitalized.
Feinstein stayed in her Senate role despite pressure to resign due to her declining health. She used a wheelchair in the Senate and aides had been seen directing her how to vote.
She was the fifth-oldest person to serve in the Senate and the longest-serving female senator. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California will appoint her replacement.
'She was a political giant, whose tenacity was matched by her grace. She broke down barriers and glass ceilings but never lost her belief in the spirit of political cooperation. And she was a fighter,' Newsom said in a statement.
President Joe Biden called her 'a pioneering American. A true trailblazer. And for Jill and me, a cherished friend.'
He ordered all flags on federal buildings to be at half-staff until Feinstein's burial.
'There's no better example of her skillful legislating and sheer force of will than when she turned passion into purpose, and led the fight to ban assault weapons. Dianne made her mark on everything from national security to the environment to protecting civil liberties. She's made history in so many ways, and our country will benefit from her legacy for generations,' he said in a statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris called Feinstein 'one of the greatest public servants that California and our nation has ever known.'
'As the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman to serve as mayor of San Francisco, and the longest-tenured woman to serve in the United States Senate, Dianne Feinstein broke barriers, inspired generations of women to run for office, and improved the lives of millions of Americans through her vision, courage, and leadership,' she said in a statement.
She walked in without the wheelchair she's used in the last months of her 30-year Senate career as her health deteriorated following a bout with shingles. She is pictured on September 6 in the corridors of the Capitol
Dianne Feinstein's desk in the Senate on Friday morning was draped in black cloth and had a vase of white roses on it
Senator Chuck Schumer choked up as he paid tribute to Feinstein, hours after her death in her D.C. home
Nancy Pelosi, surrounded by members of the California delegation, led a moment of silence of Feinstein on the House floor
Paying tribute on the Senate floor, Schumer called her a 'giant of the Senate.'
'Senator Dianne Feinstein was one of the most amazing people who ever graced the Senate who ever graced the country,' he said.
'Her integrity shone like a beacon across the Senate and across the country for all to see.
'Dianne didn't just put push down doors that were closed for women. She held them open for generations of a woman after her to follow her.'
Schumer choked up as he said: 'Today, there are 25 women serving in this chamber and every one of them admit they stand on Diane's shoulders.'
'The sign of a leader is someone who dedicates the whole of their spirit for a cause greater than themselves. The sign of a hero is someone who fights for others who endures for others, no matter the cost, no matter the odds. And the sign of a friend is someone who stands by your side to fight the good fight on the good days and on the bad.'
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spoke of the friendship he and his wife had with Feinstein and her husband.
'She was an incredibly effective person at every line at every level, and she was at all of those levels on the way to the Senate,' he said of Feinstein. 'Those of us who were fortunate to call Diane our colleague can see we served alongside the longest serving female senator in American history.'
Senators then took to the floor to pay tribute. Many of them showed paintings of flowers that were gifts from Feinstein.
'I'm so sorry I didn't hug her yesterday,' Democratic Senator Patty Murray said.
In her remarks on the Senate floor, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski called out those who had called on Feinstein to resign: 'I think it pained us all - it certainly pained me - in just these past months to see what I believed to be grossly unfair attacks on a woman who was in failing health.'
Her fellow California Senator Alex Padilla said in a statement: 'Dianne gave me one of my first jobs in politics in her Los Angeles office at the start of my career as I was looking to make a difference in California. It's in part thanks to her groundbreaking career that a Latino son of immigrants could one day not just work for her, but work alongside her in fighting to keep the American Dream alive.'
Senator Dianne Feinstein was a trail blazing female senator - above she is with a group of women senators - Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Feinstein, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii - in June 2014
Feinstein at a memorial service for assassinated Supervisor Harvey Milk in November 1978. She found Milk in his office after he had been shot and desperately tried to save him
Dianne Feinstein was a fierce advocate for gun control who helped pass the Assault Weapons Ban
Feinstein
