Senator Dianne Feinstein has passed away at the age of 90

Senator Dianne Feinstein has passed away at the age of 90

Dianne Feinstein, who became California’s first female senator and went on to serve six terms, the longest of any woman in Senate history — and whose political career was forever changed by the assassination of two colleagues — has died, multiple sources confirm to ABC News. She was 90.

Her office said in a statement that she died on Thursday night at her home in Washington. The cause of death was not disclosed. She had voted as recently as earlier that day.

“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,” her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement.

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

Over her three decades in the Senate, Feinstein transformed from a barrier-breaking member of the Democratic Party’s liberal vanguard, championing the legalization of same-sex marriage and a ban on assault-style weapons, to one of the Washington’s establishment members, esteemed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle but increasingly criticized by outside progressives who argued that she refused to step aside for the next generation.