US Rep. Sylvester Turner, who was just sworn into his first term, dies at 70

(Gray News) - U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner died at the age of 70, only a couple of months into his first term as a congressman.

Turner, D-Texas, suffered a medical emergency after attending President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, according to a NBC News report.

Linda Brown, a spokesperson for Turner, said he was taken to a hospital in Washington Tuesday and died at his home Wednesday morning after being released.

“The House Democratic Caucus family is shocked and saddened by the sudden ing 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.

Turner had just been sworn two months ago into his first term representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District, the Texas Tribune reported. He was elected in November, filling the seat of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died of pancreatic cancer in July 2023.

In 2022, Turner said that he had undergone treatment for bone cancer in his jaw. When he announced his plans to run for Jackson Lee’s seat, he said he was cancer-free.

His cause of death was not immediately released.

Turner served as the mayor of Houston for eight years, from 2016 to 2024. Prior to his time as mayor, he served for nearly 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives.

According to the Texas Tribune, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can now call a special election to fill Turner’s seat for the rest of his term.

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