Dianne Feinstein dead: Longtime California senator was 90

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WATCH LIVE: Senators deliver tributes to Dianne Feinstein

The barrier-breaking lawmaker passed away at 90.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has died. She was 90. 

"Sadly, Senator Feinstein passed away last night at her home in Washington, D.C. Her passing is a great loss for so many, from those who loved and cared for her to the people of California that she dedicated her life to serving," Feinstein chief of staff James Sauls said in a statement. 

"Senator Feinstein never backed away from a fight for what was just and right. At the same time, she was always willing to work with anyone, even those she disagreed with, if it meant bettering the lives of Californians or the betterment of our nation," he continued. 

"There are few women who can be called senator, chairman, mayor, wife, mom and grandmother. Senator Feinstein was a force of nature who made an incredible impact on our country and her home state.

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein has died. She was 90.  (Fox News)

"She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary. There is much to say about who she was and what she did, but for now, we are going to grieve the passing of our beloved boss, mentor and friend," Sauls concluded. 

The longtime senator had suffered from extensive health issues for more than a year, leading many to wonder about her fitness for office. Her cause of death was unclear as of Friday morning. 

Feinstein was present in the Senate on Wednesday and cast a vote at 11:45 a.m. ET, according to the congressional record. 

However, she missed two votes later in the afternoon. 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., listens during the Senate Judiciary Committee mark up hearing of S.359, the "Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act" in Washington, D.C., on July 20, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

President Biden, who served with Feinstein in the Senate for more than a decade, remarked on his loss of a "cherished friend." 

"In San Francisco, she showed enormous poise and courage in the wake of tragedy, and became a powerful voice for American values. Serving in the Senate together for more than 15 years, I had a front row seat to what Dianne was able to accomplish. It’s why I recruited her to serve on the Judiciary Committee when I was Chairman — I knew what she was made of, and I wanted her on our team. 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," Biden said. 

"Often the only woman in the room, Dianne was a role model for so many Americans — a job she took seriously by mentoring countless public servants, many of whom now serve in my Administration. She had an immense impact on younger female leaders for whom she generously opened doors. Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most," the president continued. 

"As we mourn with her daughter Katherine and the Feinstein family, her team in the Senate, and the people of California, we take comfort that Dianne is reunited again with her beloved Richard. May God Bless Dianne Feinstein," Biden said. 

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Dianne Feinstein takes over as President of the Board of Supervisors on January 8, 1970. (Bill Young/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Reacting to news of her death, Democratic Majority Whip Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., remembered Feinstein as a friend and colleague of more than two decades.

"She was my friend and my seatmate on the Senate Judiciary Committee for over 20 years. She was always the lady, but she never backed down from a cause that she thought was right. She has written a great record in areas like the assault weapons ban, violence against women and so many other areas. We've lost one of the real leaders in the Senate," Durbin told Fox News. 

"It's a very, very sad day for all of us," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Friday morning, adding that he will be speaking on the Senate floor at 10:00 a.m. ET. 

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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who sat with Feinstein on the Senate Committee on Intelligence, said she was a "political pioneer with a historic career of public service." 

"Intelligent, hard working [and] always treated everyone with courtesy [and] respect," Rubio wrote on X. "May God grant her eternal rest." 

Dianne Feinstein, member of the California Women's Board of Terms and Paroles, is pictured on June 24, 1964. (Bob Campbell/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Feinstein, the longest-serving female senator ever, was first elected to the role in 1992.

"Senator Feinstein led a bipartisan group of senators in passing legislation to drastically increase the fuel efficiency of cars. She was a leading voice in the effort to legalize gay marriage and ensure rights for LGBT Americans," a biography on her website reads.

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"She’s a champion for the preservation of the Mojave Desert, Lake Tahoe and California’s forests. She helped create the nationwide AMBER Alert network, passed bills to criminalize border drug tunnels and has long focused on improving California’s water infrastructure and reducing the threat of wildfires," it added, noting that she had pushed for "commonsense gun laws."

San Francisco's mayor Dianne Feinstein smiles while working in her office. (Getty Images)

Her biography says her "most notable achievements" are the "enactment of the federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994" and the "six-year review of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program that culminated in the 2014 release of the report’s executive summary and passage of legislation ensuring that certain post-9/11 interrogation methods are never used again."

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Prior to her tenure as a senator, Feinstein spent nine years as San Francisco County supervisor, beginning in 1969, and became the first woman to serve as president of its board in 1978, the year Mayor George Moscone was gunned down alongside Supervisor Harvey Milk at City Hall by Dan White, a disgruntled former supervisor. Feinstein said she found Milk's body. After the tragedy, she became acting mayor of the city and later was elected to two four-year terms.

Dianne Feinstein, the mayor of San Francisco, addresses the Democratic National Convention in New York in 1992. She would be elected to the Senate that fall. (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

"Senator Feinstein’s career has been one of firsts," her website biography also says. "She was the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco, the first woman elected Senator of California, the first woman member and first woman ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first woman to chair the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the first woman to chair the Senate Intelligence Committee."

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom honored Feinstein as a "powerful, trailblazing US Senator" in a statement on her death.

Dianne Feinstein with Gavin Newsom, standing next to an officer with a gun. (Getty Images)

"Dianne Feinstein was many things – a powerful, trailblazing US Senator; an early voice for gun control; a leader in times of tragedy and chaos. But to me, she was a dear friend, a lifelong mentor, and a role model not only for me, but to my wife and daughters for what a powerful, effective leader looks like," Newsom said. 

"There is simply nobody who possessed the poise, gravitas, and fierceness of Dianne Feinstein. Jennifer and I are deeply saddened by her passing, and we will mourn with her family in this difficult time," he added. 

Feinstein announced in February that she would not seek a sixth term as California's senior senator in the 2024 general election. A week after that announcement she was absent from the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a case of shingles. 

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Amid concerns about her health, Feinstein stepped down as the top Democrat on the Judiciary panel after the 2020 elections, just as her party was about to take the majority. In 2023, she said she would not serve as the Senate president pro tempore, or the most senior member of the majority party, even though she was in line to do so. The president pro tempore opens the Senate every day, holds other ceremonial duties, and is right behind the vice president and House speaker in the line of succession for the presidency.

Flowers were placed on Feinstein's desk on the Senate floor Friday morning, and her colleagues began the day's Senate session by honoring her memory.

Fox News' Aishah Hasnie, Tyler Olson and Anders Hagstrom and The Associated Press contributed to this report.