Former US Congressman Barney Frank, renowned for his confrontations with and recognized as one of the first openly gay representatives, passed away on Tuesday night, according to reports from US media. He was 86.
He died after a battle with congestive heart failure.
He will be remembered as a pioneer for LGBT rights, being the first member of Congress to enter into a same-sex marriage, and for his role in reforming financial regulations following the 2008 financial crisis.
“He was, above all else, a wonderful brother. I was lucky to be his sister,” stated Frank’s sister Doris Breay in an interview with NBC Boston.
“He notified everybody that he was in hospice, so it was just a matter of time. He was certainly at peace with himself,” Jim Segel, Frank’s former campaign manager, told Axios.
“He certainly left a mark, and he was a leader on on civil rights, on gay rights, on leading other marginalized communities, and then he helped the country get through the 2008 financial crisis, which was the most significant recession, depression, almost since 1930,” Segel said.
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Barney Frank’s health issues
Frank served as a representative for Massachusetts in the US House from 1981 until 2013 and began hospice care at his residence in Maine last month, as reported by Politico. He had been suffering from congestive heart failure.
During an interview at that time, he remarked to the outlet “at 86, I’ve made it longer than I thought,” further noting “at some point, my heart’s just going to give out, and it’s reaching that stage. So I’m taking it easy at home and dealing with it by relaxing.”
He paved the way for other openly gay elected officials in the United States, and in 2012, he made history as the first member of Congress to enter into a same-sex marriage, uniting with his long-term partner, Jim Ready.
Tributes pour in
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker who worked alongside Frank for over 25 years, characterized him as a progressive and an idealist in a recent interview with NBC News.
“He has been about idealism and pragmatism to get the job done,” Pelosi remarked, recalling that she was the speaker when Frank guided the Dodd-Frank Act through Congress. Frank reached out to Pelosi last month to inform her of his transition to hospice care, she noted.
“He was a real mentor to so many of us here,” Pelosi reamrked. “I was with him on [the] Banking [Committee] in the beginning. I learned so much.”
