Jim Spellman/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Following the death on Tuesday of Edith Windsor — whose landmark Supreme Court case struck down parts of a federal anti-gay marriage law and paved the way toward legalizing same-sex nuptials nationwide — lawmakers and other public figures were quick to honor her legacy and contribution to LGBT rights.

She was 88. She died in New York, according to her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.

“America’s long journey towards equality has been guided by countless small acts of persistence and fueled by the stubborn willingness of quiet heroes to speak out for what’s right,” former President Barack Obama said. “Few were as small in stature as Edie Windsor — and few made as big a difference to America.”

Obama said he spoke with Windsor a few days ago and told her “one more time what a difference she made to this country we love.”

When Windsor was 81, she brought a lawsuit that turned out to be a major moment for gay rights. The genesis of the lawsuit was the death in 2009 of her first wife, Thea Spyer. They were married in 2007 in Canada — where same-sex marriage was already legal — after spending more than four decades together.

Windsor said the federal Defense of Marriage Act’s definition of marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman prevented her from getting a marital deduction on Spyer’s estate. That meant Windsor faced a $360,000 tax bill that heterosexual couples would not have.

Fast forward to June 2013, when the Supreme Court justices ruled 5-4 that the provision in the law was unconstitutional — and that legally married same-sex couples are entitled to the same federal benefits that heterosexual couples receive.

But the journey to marriage equality didn’t end there. The opinion in Windsor’s case became the basis for several federal court rulings that struck down state marriage bans and led to a 2015 Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry across the country.

Below, a roundup of public figures who took to social media to pay tribute to Windsor:

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS, D-CALIF.

“If you really care about the quality of somebody’s life as much as you care about the quality of your own, you have it made.”
—Edie Windsor

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 12, 2017

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, D-CALIF.

Edith Windsor made this country better. Her courage means millions of Americans can now marry the person they love. #LoveWins

— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 12, 2017

REP. JOE CROWLEY, D-NEW YORK

Condolences to all of Edith’s family and friends. Let us all honor Edith by standing up to injustice everywhere. 2/2

— Rep. Joe Crowley (@repjoecrowley) September 12, 2017

FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON

REP. TIM RYAN, D-OHIO

A hero for the cause of equality. Rest In Peace, Edie. https://t.co/iq94nvqzjc

— Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) September 12, 2017

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