Rep. Sylvester Turner has died, according to fellow House Democrats.
The first-term Texas Democrat had been elected in 2024 to succeed the late Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in office last year.
Democrats announced his death to their colleagues in a closed-door leadership meeting Wednesday morning, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Other Democrats publicly expressed condolences on X, with Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) writing: “He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of service as Mayor of Houston and the Representative for Texas’ 18th Congressional District. May he Rest in Peace.”
A spokesperson for Turner’s congressional office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Turner, 70, had revealed in 2022 he had undergone treatment for bone cancer, though he had declared himself “cancer free.”
