House Democratic president Hakeem Jeffries confirmed on Wednesday that US representative and former Houston president Sylvester Turner had passed away at the age of 70. His sudden departure comes just before the start of his first term in Congress, causing shock in Houston and the social world.
Turner, who was in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday for President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress, later went to a doctor that night. His director Linda Brown said he was released but passed away at home on Wednesday night. His death’s trigger has not been revealed.
The sudden departure of Congressman Sylvester Turner has shocked and saddened the House Democratic Caucus home, Jeffries said in a speech, calling him a longtime Houston supporter.
Turner won the election in November, succeeding Sheila Jackson Lee, a long-time US representative who passed away last July after battling liver cancer. He served two terms as mayor of Houston before winning the legislative election, guiding the city through disasters like Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
Turner revealed that he had had bone cancer in his neck after going through surgery and radiation therapy in 2022. Whether his previous illness contributed to his rapid passing is still undetermined.
His death leaves a significant hole in Texas politics as the next time a Houston legislative head has been removed in less than a month.
