Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., announced Turner’s passing at a House Homeland Security hearing on Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., later issued a statement expressing his shock and sadness.
Turner, who previously served as the mayor of Houston, Texas, was elected to replace the late Rep. Shiela Jackson Lee, who died in July of last year.
Turner served 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives, and was elected mayor of Houston in 2015 and again in 2019.
Turner was on Capitol Hill as recently as Tuesday afternoon ahead of President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress.
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The lawmaker was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in 2022.
Jeffries honored Turner in a statement Wednesday.
“As the Representative for the 18th Congressional District in Texas, Sylvester followed in the hallowed footsteps of trailblazers like the great Barbara Jordan and our late sister, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. We all stand on the shoulders of these incredible giants and join Texans in mourning the tremendous loss of another iconic leader. Like those before him, Rep. Turner was a fighter until the end – he was present yesterday evening to ensure that the voice of one of his constituents, who relies on Medicaid, was heard. In what would be his final message to his beloved constituents last night he reminded us ‘don’t mess with Medicaid,'” Jeffries wrote.
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Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, passed away at the age of 70 on Tuesday night. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Turner’s office has yet to release a statement on the congressman’s death.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also remarked on Turner’s death, praising him as “a man of character who served his fellow Texans for more than 36 years.”
“From his time as State Representative, to Mayor of Houston, and finally representing Texas’ 18th Congressional District, Congressman Turner leaves behind a legacy of service to our great state. Congressman Turner will be missed, and our prayers go out to his family and loved ones during this time of grief,” Abbott wrote.
