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March 29 (UPI) -- Friends and family gathered to remember former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman Friday at the funeral for the one-time Democratic vice presidential candidate. The funeral is taking place at the Congregation Agudath Sholom synagogue in Connecticut where Lieberman was a long-time member. The service got underway at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
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Lieberman died Wednesday after being taken to a hospital "due to complications from a fall," at his home in the Bronx at the age of 82, his family said in a statement.
The Connecticut native served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years and was a vice presidential nominee for the Democratic Party in 2000.
The public service will be followed by a private burial at a nearby cemetery where Lieberman's parents are als buried.
Former Vice President Al Gore was among the dignitaries at Lieberman's funeral. Gore picked Lieberman as his running mate for his 2000 presidential run.
At the time, Lieberman became the first Jewish American to be nominated on a major party ticket.
He also had a brief run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, but dropped out of the race during the primaries.
"It was an honor to stand side-by-side with him on the campaign trail. I'll remain forever grateful for his tireless efforts to build a better future for America," Gore said on X after news broke of Lieberman's death.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a longtime Lieberman friend, was also among the funeral attendees, as was the state's former governor John Rowland.
"Joe Lieberman loved this place," Blumenthal, who knew Lieberman for 50 years, said during one of several eulogies.
"It gave him the ferocious independence, his strong-willed, strong-minded dedication to public service and to giving back."
"Joe was all about family and faith and remaining true to the principles of dedication, to bringing people together and closing gaps...He will be missed deeply."
