Sen. Patrick Leahy ‘comfortably recovering’ after hip replacement surgery

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is recovering at a Washington area hospital after surgery to replace a broken hip following a fall at his home, his office said Thursday evening.

Leahy, 82, fell Wednesday night in McLean, Virginia, according to his office, which initially said the surgery was intended to “repair” his hip. A subsequent statement said doctors decided to do “hip replacement surgery,” which was completed Thursday afternoon.

Leahy and his wife, Marcelle, who were known to take long walks together on a daily basis before the fall, were “overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of support,” his office said in a statement following the surgery.

Leahy's office added that he is expected to begin physical therapy “after sufficient healing.”

His office did not specify when Leahy is expected back on Capitol Hill. NBC News has asked for comment.

The Senate is out of session until July 11.

Democrats hold the slimmest of margins in the evenly divided Senate. The absence of just one senator can sometimes delay a vote.

Leahy was born with blindness in one eye, which began “a lifelong struggle with reduced depth perception,” his office said. “He has taken some remarkable dingers over the years, but this one finally caught up with him.”

Leahy, the longest-serving sitting senator, announced in November that he will not seek re-election this fall. He will have served for 48 years in the Senate when his term ends in January.