Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dead At 90

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the oldest U.S. senator and the longest-serving from the state of California, has died at the age of 90, ABC 7 Insider Phil Matier confirmed on Friday (September 29).

Feinsten's political career included many monumental victories including becoming the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco and one of the first two women concurrently elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of California along with Barbara Boxer.

"Dianne Feinstein, right from the start, was an icon for women in politics," said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) via ABC 7.

Last month, Feinstein was reportedly hospitalized after tripping and falling in San Francisco, TMZ reported. The website said the severity of Feinstein's injuries weren't determined at the time of its initial report.

Feinstein had dealt with several health issues during the past year which included being absent from the Senate for nearly three months while battling shingles, Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis. In May, Feinstein told a reporter "I haven't been gone" upon her return to Congress and appeared to be confused during a recent Senate hearing in which a colleague told her "just say aye" while voting on an $823 billion military budget.

Feinstin also gave her only child, Katherine, 66, power of attorney over her recently, according to a document posted by Insider earlier this month, which raised questions amid a growing number of both Democrats and Republicans calling for her resignation. The decision comes amid a family dispute over Feinstein's intention to sell her beach house near San Francisco, a decision being opposed by the children of her late husband Richard C. Blum, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The senate office doesn't feel it's appropriate to comment on a private legal matter," a spokesperson for Feinstein said in a statement to CBS News regarding her decision.

Feinstein had previously announced that she would not seek re-election after the conclusion of her term in 2024 prior to her death.