Elizabeth Warren's oldest brother has died of coronavirus

Donald Reed Herring, Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass.) oldest brother, has died at 86 after testing positive for COVID-19, The Boston Globe reports.

Warren confirmed the death of her brother in a statement to the Globe.

"I'm grateful to the nurses and other front-line staff who took care of my brother, but it is hard to know that there was no family to hold his hand or to say 'I love you' one more time," Warren said. "And now there's no funeral for those of us who loved him to hold each other close. I will miss my brother."

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Warren's oldest brother, an Air Force veteran, tested positive for COVID-19 about three weeks ago, the Globe reports. His family said he was hospitalized for pneumonia in February and moved to a rehabilitation center while recovering.

While running for president, Warren often mentioned her three brothers, and the Globe last year described them as a "silent fixture" of her 2020 campaign. They appeared in a campaign video earlier this year.

Warren on Twitter paid tribute to her oldest brother as "charming and funny, a natural leader," adding, "What made him extra special was his smile — quick and crooked, it always seemed to generate its own light, one that lit up everyone around him."