JUST IN: Former Congressman Barney Frank Dead at 86

(Michael Dwyer/AP photo)

Former Democratic congressman Barney Frank died this week at the age of 86 after entering a hospice last month.

Frank’s sister, Doris Breay, confirmed in a statement to NBC News on Wednesday that Frank had passed away, telling the network, “He was, above all else, a wonderful brother. I was lucky to be his sister.”

The former congressman represented Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District for more than 30 years between 1981 and 2013, and served as chair of the House Financial Services Committee between 2007 and 2011.

Frank was also the target of one of President Donald Trump’s most viral social media posts in December 2011.

“Barney Frank looked disgusting–nipples protruding–in his blue shirt before Congress. Very very disrespectful,” wrote Trump at the time, receiving 50,000 likes on the social network X.

Frank made a virtual appearance on CNN’s State of the Union this month after he entered an end-of-life hospice for congestive heart failure.

“Donald Trump, we originally thought was a joke, and then he turned out to be very good at one thing — exploiting voter discontent. And so he won an election based on that,” Frank told CNN host Jake Tapper. “And since then, it’s gone back to being a joke. The man is imploding. He has no program that he’s seeking to adopt.”

After Tapper asked, “What do you want people to remember about congressman Barney Frank?” the former congressman replied, “That I was smart enough, and learned enough about the reaction not to answer that question.”

“Let me just say, on behalf of myself, who’s enjoyed covering you for decades, and admired your passion and your brain, and your quick wit, that I’ll miss you,” concluded Tapper.

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