- Richard C. Blum, investor, philanthropist, and longtime husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein, actually died on February 27, 2022, at age 86 after a long battle with cancer.
- Blum served as a UC Regent from 2002 and was deeply involved in global philanthropy, including the Blum Center at UC Berkeley and the American Himalayan Foundation.
- A newly circulating article incorrectly implies Blum died recently and quotes Feinstein as speaking now, despite her own death in 2023.
- The piece appears to recycle 2022 material without clear dating, spreading misinformation and potentially undermining trust in current political and media narratives.
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The claim in the recently surfaced article that Senator Feinstein’s husband, Richard Blum, has just passed away is factually inaccurate. Authoritative sources—including the University of California, Blum’s own biographies, and multiple news outlets—confirm his death occurred on February 27, 2022. His strong involvement as a UC Regent, investor, and philanthropist ended with that date, and any newly published piece speaking of his death “today” misports these longstanding facts. [1,2,12]
Further compounding the issue, the article language (“Senator Feinstein says…”) is itself anachronistic: Feinstein died on September 29, 2023. Therefore, she cannot make new statements, suggesting the article is republishing older statements out of context. [9,8]
The misunderstanding has strategic implications. Misinformation like this can generate political noise—derailing accurate reporting, confusing public archives, possibly impacting trust in media, and creating unnecessary rumors about current political actors. It appears to be triggered by recycled content, possibly with alterations in timing or attribution to appear current.
Open questions include: What source first misdated the material claiming Blum’s death is recent? Is this a case of deliberate disinformation or editorial laziness? Have similar items about Senator Feinstein been rediscovered or mis-circulated recently?
Supporting Notes
- Richard C. Blum died on February 27, 2022, aged 86, after a long battle with cancer. [1][3]
- He was the husband of Senator Dianne Feinstein and had been married to her since 1980. [3][12]
- Feinstein died on September 29, 2023, hence cannot make recent statements attributed to her. [8][9]
- Blum served as a University of California Regent beginning in 2002, reappointed in 2014, with the term scheduled to expire in 2026; but is listed as “Regent Emeritus” due to his death. [1][2]
- His philanthropic efforts include founding the Blum Center for Developing Economies at UC Berkeley and the American Himalayan Foundation, and deep engagement in global poverty and Himalayan region causes. [2][3][9]
- The article’s quotes from Feinstein—“My heart is broken today…” and other remarks—match statements made at the time of his death in 2022. [9][3]
Sources
- [1] www.universityofcalifornia.edu (University of California) — February 28, 2022
- [2] regents.universityofcalifornia.edu (University of California) — n.d.
- [3] www.sfchronicle.com (San Francisco Chronicle) — February 28, 2022
- [8] www.sfgate.com (SFGATE / San Francisco Chronicle) — July 1, 2025
- [9] abc7news.com (ABC7 San Francisco) — February 28, 2022
- [12] en.wikipedia.org (Wikipedia) — n.d.