Colorado’s leaders are mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch who died Thursday at age 96, calling her a “rock” for Great Britain and a “beacon of stability” through the decades.

The queen died after 70 years on the throne. 

“Colorado celebrates and honors the life and memory of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II,” Gov. Jared Polis said on Twitter. “She brought compassion, kindness, and dedication to her job every day, and is mourned not only by her subjects but by people across the world.”

Colorado celebrates and honors the life and memory of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed today at the age of 96. She brought compassion, kindness, and dedication to her job every day, and is mourned not only by her subjects but by people across the world 🇬🇧 👑 pic.twitter.com/1n0p8xGkG9

— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) September 8, 2022

“God bless Queen Elizabeth,” Heidi Ganahl, a member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents who is running for governor, said, also on social media. “May she rest in peace after serving as a beacon of stability for 70 years.”

“For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth served as a symbol of strength to the British people as she fostered a strong alliance with America,” U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper tweeted. “We join the world in mourning her death and celebrate her incredible life.”

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet reacted on Twitter: “Queen Elizabeth II was a resilient and devoted leader who strengthened the special relationship between our two countries. I share my condolences with all mourning her loss.”

Tributes and remembrances poured in as news of the queen’s death spread.

“This is a sad day for the world,” said U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette. “Queen Elizabeth II was a rock for Great Britain through decades of change. Our hearts go out to her family and all the people of the United Kingdom during this difficult time.

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter posted a tribute from London, where the member of the House Rules Committee and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress has been on an official visit with colleagues to learn about how other governments operate.

“It’s a very sad day here in London, England, because of the death of the queen this morning,” Perlmutter says in a video clip posted to his Twitter account.

“I was by a statute of her mother, who lived to be 100. Queen Elizabeth has now lived and passed at 96. A woman who took on a job she didn’t really want at age 20 and has done such a magnificent job and performance since then, for 76 some years.”

Added Perlmutter: “The world will miss her. She was a stable, calming influence across the globe. May she rest in peace.”

I happen to be in the UK right now as a member of the @RulesDemocrats and @ModernizeCmte to learn more about how other governments function.My reaction to the passing of #QueenElizabeth on this historic day ⬇ pic.twitter.com/1hBriBBGe8

— Rep. Ed Perlmutter (@RepPerlmutter) September 8, 2022

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse said his thoughts were with the people of the United Kingdom as they mourn the monarch’s passing.

“An extraordinary person, and a true friend to the United States, her historic legacy will be remembered for generations to come,” Neguse tweeted.

Alongside a World War II-era photo of the young Queen Elizabeth and one of the field ambulances she drove during the war, U.S. Rep. Ken Buck said on social media: “The world mourns the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II, a woman who came to embody the concept of dignity for residents of the Commonwealth as well as people everywhere. She was among the great few of leaders in recorded history who never did one inch less than her duty.”

The palace announced Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle, her summer residence in Scotland, where members of the royal family had rushed to her side after her health took a turn for the worse.

A link to the almost-vanished generation that fought World War II, she was the only monarch most Britons have ever known.

Her 73-year-old son Prince Charles automatically becomes king, though the coronation might not take place for months. It was not immediately known whether he will call himself King Charles III or some other name.

Adam Frisch, the Democrat challenging U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, posted a photo of a downcast corgi, the iconic dog breed kept for decades by the British royal family.

“The Queen was a great leader through many turbulent times,” Frisch tweeted. “She will be missed.”

The BBC played the national anthem, “God Save the Queen,” over a portrait of her in full regalia as her death was announced, and the flag over Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-staff as the second Elizabethan age came to a close.

The impact of her loss will be huge and unpredictable, both for the nation and for the monarchy, an institution she helped stabilize and modernize across decades of huge social change and family scandals.

Since Feb. 6, 1952, Elizabeth reigned over a Britain that rebuilt from war and lost its empire; joined the European Union and then left it; and transformed from industrial powerhouse to uncertain 21st century society. She endured through 15 prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, becoming an institution and an icon — a fixed point and a reassuring presence even for those who ignored or loathed the monarchy.

She became less visible in her final years as age and frailty curtailed many public appearances. But she remained firmly in control of the monarchy and at the center of national life as Britain celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with days of parties and pageants in June 2022.

The same month she became the second longest-reigning monarch in history, behind 17th-century French King Louis XIV, who took the throne at age 4. On Sept. 6, 2022, she presided at a ceremony at Balmoral Castle to accept the resignation of Boris Johnson as prime minister and appoint Truss as his successor.

Despite Britain’s complex and often fraught ties with its former colonies, Elizabeth was widely respected and remained head of state of more than a dozen countries, from Canada to Tuvalu. She headed the 54-nation Commonwealth, built around Britain and its former colonies.

Married for more than 73 years to Prince Philip, who died in 2021 at age 99, Elizabeth was matriarch to a royal family whose troubles were a subject of global fascination — amplified by fictionalized accounts such as TV series “The Crown.” She is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21, 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. She was not born to be queen — her father’s elder brother, Prince Edward, was destined for the crown, to be followed by any children he had.

But in 1936, when she was 10, Edward VIII abdicated to marry twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, and Elizabeth’s father became King George VI.

In February 1952, George VI died in his sleep at age 56 after years of ill health. Elizabeth, on a visit to Kenya, was told that she was now queen.

In Britain’s constitutional monarchy, the queen is head of state but has little direct power; in her official actions she does what the government orders. However, she was not without influence. She once reportedly commented that there was nothing she could do legally to block the appointment of a bishop, “but I can always say that I should like more information. That is an indication that the prime minister will not miss.”

Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest people, Elizabeth had a reputation for frugality and common sense. She was known as a monarch who turned off lights in empty rooms, a country woman who didn’t flinch from strangling pheasants.

In 2015, she overtook her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years, seven months and two days to become the longest-serving monarch in British history. She kept working into her 10th decade, though Prince Charles and his elder son, Prince William, increasingly took over the visits, ribbon-cuttings and investitures that form the bulk of royal duties.

She enjoyed robust health well into her 90s, although she used a cane in an appearance after Philip’s death. In October 2021, she spent a night in a London hospital for tests after canceling a trip to Northern Ireland.