WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has died, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Wednesday. He was 70.
Turner had been in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday and attended President Donald Trump’s address before Congress.
“The House Democratic Caucus family is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Congressman Sylvester Turner. Though he was newly elected to the Congress, Rep. Turner had a long and distinguished career in public service and spent decades fighting for the people of Houston,” Jeffries said in a statement.
Linda Brown, a spokesperson for Turner, said he was taken to a hospital in Washington and died at his home on Wednesday morning after being released.
His cause of death was not immediately known.
Turner was elected in November, filling the seat that had been held by longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died last July after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
In November 2022, Turner revealed he had undergone treatment, including surgery and radiation therapy, earlier that year for bone cancer in his jaw.
Turner served eight years as Houston’s mayor, leading the nation’s fourth-largest city through various challenges, including devastating flooding from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Before being elected as mayor, Turner served 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives.
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