Barney Frank, the former Massachusetts congressman who helped write the landmark Dodd‑Frank financial reforms and was one of the first openly gay members of Congress, has entered hospice care at his home in Ogunquit, Maine, according to a longtime friend. The 86-year-old is spending his days at home with his husband as he manages declining health.
A short video report from CBS News Boston says Frank is now receiving hospice care at the coastal home, while The Boston Globe reports that Jim Segel, a friend and former colleague who worked with Frank during the 2008 financial crisis, visited on Monday and found Frank’s “mind … alert” even as “his body … is starting to give out.”
What He Told Politico
In a recent conversation with Politico, Frank said he feels “very good — no pain, no discomfort,” even as he confronts the limits of his health. “At some point, my heart’s just going to give out, and it’s reaching that stage,” he told the outlet, which reported that he is receiving care at home while dealing with congestive heart failure.
Book, Politics And A Parting Critique
The Portland Press Herald reported that Frank is working to finish a political book slated for release in September. In recent interviews, according to the paper, he has not shied away from critiquing his own party, urging Democrats to put some distance between themselves and what he sees as the left’s more extreme positions. The Press Herald also noted that he has voiced support for Gov. Janet Mills in Maine’s Democratic primary.
A Long Career, From Boston To Washington
Frank represented parts of eastern Massachusetts in the U.S. House from 1981 to 2013, became the first member of Congress to come out voluntarily as gay, later entered a same-sex marriage while still in office, and helped author the Dodd‑Frank Act. Those milestones are among the biographical details highlighted in coverage of his hospice news by The Boston Globe.
Reaction
After word of his condition surfaced, friends, former colleagues, and readers shared messages of support, saluting Frank’s decades of influence, his often-combative style, and his status as a trailblazer in LGBTQ politics. Coverage and reaction have been collected in roundups by WBUR and LGBTQ Nation.
