In a poignant announcement on Monday, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia revealed the tragic passing of his daughter, Madison, at the age of 36. Her death follows a long and valiant fight against juvenile diabetes, a condition she had battled for decades.
The senator’s office shared the heart-wrenching news on social media platform X, accompanied by a statement from Warner and his wife, Lisa Collis. They expressed their devastation over the loss, saying, “We are heartbroken beyond words by the passing of our beloved daughter, Madison, 36, after a decades-long battle with juvenile diabetes and other health issues.”
Madison, remembered for bringing joy and laughter into her family’s life, leaves behind a void that feels insurmountable. “She filled our lives with love and laughter, and her absence leaves an immeasurable void,” they said, drawing attention to the profound impact she had on those around her.
In this time of grief, the Warner family has been touched by the outpouring of support from friends and family. They have requested privacy to process their loss, stating, “We are grateful for the loving support of friends and family during this difficult time and ask for privacy as we navigate this profound loss.”
Senator Warner’s colleagues from Congress have also expressed their condolences and offered their support through messages on social media, highlighting the community’s solidarity with the Warner family in their time of sorrow.
Warner’s congressional colleagues chimed in on the post with well-wishes.
Texas Republican Congressman August Pfluger wrote on X, ‘I am incredibly sorry for your loss. Keeping you and your family in my prayers.’
Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican Congresswoman, wrote, ‘Our deepest condolences. We’re keeping your family in our prayers.’
Mark Warner with his family, in an image posted to his Facebook account in 2013. Madison is in the center
Madison Warner stands next to her father, Senator Mark Warner, as he shakes hands with former Vice President Joe Biden prior to Biden administrating the oath of office to Warner in the Old Senate Chamber in 2009
Mark Warner (C) speaks as (L-R) his daughters Gillian, Madison, Eliza and wife Lisa Collis look on during a election night party November 4, 2008 in McLean, Virginia
Vermont Democrat Becca Balint noted that she was sorry for Warner’s loss, and added, ‘may Madison’s memory always be a blessing.’
Virginia’s Democrat Governor, Abigail Spanberger, noted in a statement that her ‘deepest condolences are with the Warner family as Mark and Lisa mourn their beloved daughter and Gillian and Eliza mourn their sister, Madison.’
‘Adam and I are holding them all in our hearts and prayers during this time of great loss,’ Spanberger also noted.
Warner was first elected to the Senate in 2008, and has been reelected twice since then, in 2014 and 2020. He is up for reelection later this year.
Warner and his wife live just outside of Washington, DC, in Alexandria, Virginia, and have two other daughters, Gillian and Eliza.
Madison graduated from Brown University in 2012, per her LinkedIn, and surprisingly kept mainly out of the public eye despite her father’s significant political profile as a US senator for nearly two decades, and as Virginia’s governor from 2002 to 2006.
Type 1 diabetes is an incurable genetic condition, although experimental therapies are in development for the disease.
Per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 2.1 million people have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the United States.
That number includes 1.8 million adults aged 20 or older, as well as 314,000 children and adolescents under 20.
