Former Senator Joe Lieberman Died at the Age of 82 After Decades of Prominence
Joe died “due to complications from a fall. He was 82 years old. His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed.”
Published March 28 2024, 9:42 a.m. ET
Over several decades, Joe Lieberman had a profound influence on U.S. policy. He came within a hair's breadth of becoming the vice president when he ran alongside Al Gore in 2000. On March 27, 2024, though, news broke that Lieberman had died at the age of 82.
The news of his death naturally led to an outpouring of tributes to the former senator, as well as some people wondering what his cause of death was. Here's what we know about the circumstances surrounding Lieberman's death.
What was Joe Lieberman's cause of death?
In a statement announcing his death, Lieberman's family said that he had died “due to complications from a fall. He was 82 years old. His beloved wife, Hadassah, and members of his family were with him as he passed.”
Lieberman served as a senator from Connecticut for 24 years, and was selected as Gore's running mate in 2000. He sought the nomination for president four years later, without success.
After retiring from the senate, Lieberman reemerged as a political force in 2023 when he became one of the faces of No Labels, a political group seeking to run a centrist candidate who, at least in theory, could appeal to moderates of both parties.
“The parties are failing the American people because they’re rarely willing to do anything but attack for political reasons,” Lieberman explained in an interview.
What were the complications related to Lieberman's fall?
The exact nature of the complications that Lieberman faced following his fall are unknown, but his brother-in-law stated that the fall took place at his home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and that he died at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Upper Manhattan.
Lieberman was known for being a hawk on foreign policy. He was also known for being one of the first to advocate for the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He is well known, at least in progressive circles, for insisting that the public option be stripped out of the Affordable Care Act for it to pass the Senate.
