Former Canadian senator Joyce Fairbairn dead at 82

Former Canadian Liberal senator and journalist Joyce Fairbairn has died at age 82, the federal government confirmed Tuesday.

The cause of death was not immediately known, though Fairbairn resigned from her seat in 2013 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. The Lethbridge, Alta., native was appointed to the Senate in 1984.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee said Fairbairn was a "pillar" of the Paralympic movement in Canada for many years. She was inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2011 in recognition of her significant role in growing paralympic sport in Canada. 

"She was always a huge fan of all of Canada's Paralympians, and we so appreciated all of her support. She will be greatly missed," Marc-André Fabien, president, Canadian Paralympic Committee wrote in a statement Tuesday. 

CBC News previously reported that Fairbairn broke ground as one of the first women journalists in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, was a senior adviser to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and then became the first woman leader of the government in the Senate.

All government of Canada buildings and establishments in Lethbridge will have flags at half-mast until Apr. 1 to mark her death, according to a notice of half masting from the federal government. 

In her hometown of Lethbridge, Senator Joyce Fairbairn Middle School is named after her.