Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

California Sen Dianne Feinstein’s husband Richard Blum dies aged 86 after cancer battle

Getty Images

Richard Blum, husband of California Sen Dianne Feinstein, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 86.

Ms Feinstein announced her husband’s death in a statement Monday morning that said her “heart is broken today”.

She said her husband, a wealthy San Francisco investor, “left things better than he found them” and was devoted to his family. She described his work for the people of the Himalayas and noted he was a longtime friend of the Dalai Lama.

“My husband was my partner and best friend for more than 40 years,” Ms Feinstein said in the statement. “He was by my side for the good times and for the challenges. I am going to miss him terribly.”

Ms Feinstein, 88, has missed votes in recent weeks as her husband’s health declined, contributing to Democrats’ fragile 50-50 majority.

Sen Ben Ray Luján (D - New Mexico) is also absent after suffering a stroke in January. He is expected to return in the coming weeks, ahead of an expected April vote on Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, said Blum was a “dear friend, a devoted philanthropist and a proud San Franciscan” who was a donor to arts and anti-hunger programs in the city.

Blum was the chairman of Blum Capital Partners, an equity investment management firm. He is also the former chairman of the University of California Board of Regents and a former chairman of the advisory board for the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He served on former President Barack Obama’s Global Development Council.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.