Former Houston Mayor and U.S. Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner has died at the age of 70. According to his Instagram, Turner was inside the Capitol just before President Donald Trump took the stage for his first joint address to Congress.
News of Turner’s death was announced by Houston Mayor John Whitmire during a city council meeting Wednesday (March 5) morning. “It’s my duty as mayor to confirm that Congressman Turner passed away last night,” Whitmire said. “He was working in Washington and was taken to the hospital and he passed.”
Born and raised in Houston, Turner began his political career after graduating from Harvard Law School. He served in the Texas House of Representatives for 27 years starting int 189. He represented District 139, according to records from the City of Houston. In 2015, Turner was elected mayor of his hometown was reelected in 2019.
The Houston native returned to the legislative office just last year after the death of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. “We have no doubt Mayor Turner will carry on our mother’s legacy of service because we’ve witnessed it almost our entire lives,” Lee’s children said of the former mayor in August 2024. “Our mother had no greater partner than Mayor Turner and he honors her with his willingness to dutifully and humbly serve as a sturdy bridge to the next generation of leadership.”
Since November 2024, Turner had been working in Washington, D.C. Just yesterday, he took to Instagram to send a message to Trump. “My message to the current administration for tonight’s State of the Union: ‘Don’t mess with Medicaid,’” he said. Soon afterwards, Turner was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Two years before his death, Turner announced he was diagnosed with bone cancer in his jaw. He had been receiving treatment, according to Fox 26 Houston. At this time, his exact cause of death has not been determined, according to officials.
“This comes as a shock to everyone,” Mayor Whitmire said. “I’ve lost a personal friend, advisor and we’ve lost an outstanding public servant. No one will be able to step into Sylvester’s shoes and carry on his duties because there’s only one Sylvester Turner.”