US Rep. Sylvester Turner dies at 70, just months into Congressional term

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks throughout a information convention in Houston. (AP Photo)

US Rep. and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has died at 70, House Democratic chief Hakeem Jeffries confirmed Wednesday. His sudden passing comes just months into his first term in Congress, leaving Houston and the political world in shock.
Turner, who had been in Washington, DC, on Tuesday for President Donald Trump’s tackle earlier than Congress, was taken to a hospital later that evening. According to his spokesperson Linda Brown, he was launched however handed away at dwelling Wednesday morning. His reason behind loss of life has not been disclosed.
“The House Democratic Caucus family is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Congressman Sylvester Turner,” Jeffries mentioned in a press release, calling him a lifelong fighter for Houston.
Turner was elected in November, succeeding longtime US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died final July after a battle with pancreatic most cancers. Before his congressional win, he served two phrases as Houston’s mayor, navigating town by crises like Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
In 2022, Turner revealed he had undergone surgical procedure and radiation remedy for bone most cancers in his jaw. Whether his previous sickness performed a job in his sudden passing stays unclear.
His loss of life marks the second lack of a Houston congressional chief in below a yr, leaving a major void in Texas politics.