Former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2000, has died. He was 82.

What You Need To Know

  • Former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman died at 82 after complications from a fall, his family said in a statement

  • He was the first Orthodox Jew elected to the U.S. Senate when he won election in 1988 and was the first Jewish person to become the vice presidential nominee of a major U.S. political party

  • A fiercely independent lawmaker, Lieberman was not afraid to break with his party on key issues; he even endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain for president in 2008 over Barack Obama

  • In recent years, Lieberman once again joined the political fray as a founding chair of No Labels, a recently formed centrist political group long flirting with launching a third-party White House ticket in November

Lieberman died after complications from a fall, his family said in a statement on Wednesday.

"His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed," his family said in a statement. "Senator Lieberman's love of God, his family, and America endured throughout his life of service in the public interest."

A fixture in Connecticut politics for more than 40 years -- he served in the state senate for a decade before an unssuccessful U.S. House bid and a term as the state's attorney general -- Lieberman's streak of crossing party lines often drew the ire of his fellow Democrats while garnering him a reputation as a lawmaker unafraid to cross party lines.

News of the longtime lawmaker's death spurred an outpouring of tributes from across the political spectrum.

"He was a good man," President Joe Biden, who served with Lieberman in the U.S. Senate for years, said Thursday as he boarded Air Force One en route to New York. 

"Connecticut is shocked by Senator Lieberman’s sudden passing," Sen. Chris Murphy, who succeeded Lieberman to represent Connecticut in the Senate, wrote on social media. "In an era of political carbon copies, Joe Lieberman was a singularity. One of one. He fought and won for what he believed was right and for the state he adored. My thoughts are with Hadassah and the entire family."

"In his extraordinary lifetime of public service, Senator Joe Lieberman personified the ideal of country over party. He was a true patriot and statesman who stood for tireless ideals at home and abroad," former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"I am devastated to hear about the passing of our former colleague Senator Joe Lieberman," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on social media. "My heart is with his beloved wife Hadassah and his family, and I am praying for all who knew and loved him."

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a fellow Democrat who challenged Lieberman for the Senate in 2006, acknowledged their differences and disagreements in a tribute posted to social media.

"While the senator and I had our political differences, he was a man of integrity and conviction, so our debate about the Iraq War was serious," Lamont wrote after sharing condolences from himself and his wife, Annie. "I believe we agreed to disagree from a position of principle. When the race was over, we stayed in touch as friends in the best traditions of American democracy."

"Barbara& I send our prayers to Joe Lieberman’s family after hrg news of his passing We served 2gether in senate &worked on whistleblower initiatives, reining in mismanagement/hold govt accountable Joe was a dedicated public servant working w anyone regardless of political stripe," Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote on X.

"RIP Joe Lieberman - he was a real leader who was willing to work across the aisle if it meant getting good things done," wrote former presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

Lieberman was a trailblazer throughout his career: He was the first Orthodox Jew elected to the U.S. Senate when he won election in 1988, defeating incumbent Republican Sen. Lowell Weicker. And when he was chosen in 2000 to be then-Vice President Al Gore's running mate, he was the first Jewish person to appear on the presidential ticket of a major party.

A fiercely independent lawmaker, Lieberman was not afraid to break with his party on key issues, a position that rankled many Democrats. He was the first major Democratic figure to criticize then-President Bill Clinton over his affair with a White House intern, though he'd later vote against his impeachment. And his staunch support of the Iraq War lost him support within his own state.

He even broke with Democrats to endorse Republican Sen. John McCain for president in 2008 over Barack Obama. In his eulogy for McCain in 2018, Lieberman said that he turned down the opportunity to be his running mate.

"In 2008 when he was Republican nominee for president, he had a far-out idea of asking a Democrat to be his running mate," Lieberman said of McCain. "Can you believe that? Let me explain it to you as he did. When he first talked to me about it I said, 'You know, John, I'm really honored, but I don't see how you can do it. Even though I won my last election as an independent, I'm still a registered Democrat.'"

"And John's response was direct and really ennobling," he continued. "'That's the point, Joe,' he said with a certain impatience. 'You're a Democrat, I'm a Republican. We could give our country the bipartisan leadership it needs for a change.'"

But despite his independent streak, largely voted with Democrats and was a particularly staunch defender of abortion rights, gay rights and other civil rights issues. 

After the disputed 2000 presidential election, Lieberman sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 but withdrew from the race early on -- despite claiming that he had "Joementum" behind his candidacy prior to a fifth-place New Hampshire primary finish.

In 2006, he lost the Democratic primary in Connecticut's U.S. Senate race to Lamont, but mounted an independent bid under the Connecticut for Lieberman party and won reelection. He still caucused with Democrats despite overtures from Republicans.

Two years later, he backed McCain for president, arguing in a speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention that Obama lacked the experience to be president -- a position that drew rancor from his fellow Democrats.

"Sen. Barack Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who I think can do great things for our country in the years ahead, but, my friends, eloquence is no substitute for a record, not in these tough times for America," Lieberman said. "In the Senate, during the three-and-a-half years that Sen. Obama has been a member, he has not reached across party lines to get accomplish anything significant, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party to get something done.."

There was speculation his staunch backing of McCain that he might lose his chairmanship of the powerful Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, but at the urging of Obama he was not punished by Senate Democrats. 

He played a key role during the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Obama's key health care legislation. Lieberman opposed a public option in the measure, and his demand was met due to universal opposition by Republicans in the U.S. Senate.

In recent years, Lieberman once again joined the political fray as a founding chair of No Labels, a recently formed centrist political group long flirting with launching a third-party White House ticket in November.

"We need bipartisan leadership to break the gridlock in Washington that will unleash all the potential that is in the American people," he said in his retirement address from the U.S. Senate in 2012.