WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released the following statement on the passing of former First Lady Barbara Bush.

“My deepest condolences to the Bush family as they mourn the loss of former First Lady Barbara Bush - especially President George H.W. Bush, her husband of over 73 years. Never one to be a shrinking violet, she was fiercely loyal to her family and an outspoken advocate for the causes she believed in. I always respected her directness. She was always her own person and loved her family and her country.”