Ruth Ginsburg was “tireless and resolute champion of justice”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court justice who was as pioneering as she was brash, died Friday, the high court said. She was 87.

The court said Ginsburg, a lifelong champion of women's rights and a fierce advocate for gender equality, died "surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, D.C., due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer."

Chief Justice John Roberts said: "Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”

Despite her diminutive stature — she was reportedly 5 feet, 1 inch tall — Ginsburg was larger than life, both on and off the bench.

Viewed as a feminist icon, she broke countless barriers, dedicating her legal career to challenging laws and regulations that discriminated on the basis of sex. Along the way, she never shied away from making contentious comments, whether about her high court opinions or her octogenarian workout routines. Her refusal to hold her tongue earned her the nickname the "Notorious RBG" by her rabid fan base.

Diagnosed with cancer four times, Ginsburg had had numerous health scares, including several recent hospitalizations.

Her death will open a pivotal seat on the court less than 50 days before the presidential election.

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