Congressman Sylvester Turner of Texas dies suddenly at age 70

HOUSTON -- Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas has died two months after taking office and hours after attending President Donald Trump's address before Congress in Washington, D.C., officials said on Wednesday. He was 70.

Linda Brown, a spokesperson for Turner, said he was taken to a hospital and died at his home on Wednesday morning after being released. His cause of death was not immediately known.

"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," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement.

Turner was a former mayor of Houston who won election last November to fill the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee's seat in District 18. 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.

In November 2022, Turner revealed he had undergone treatment, including surgery and radiation therapy, earlier that year for bone cancer in his jaw.

His tenure ended last January. Ten months later, he ran to fill the seat once held by longtime Congresswoman Jackson Lee, who died of pancreatic cancer in July 2024.

Before being elected as mayor, Turner served 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.