Rep. Sylvester Turner, former Houston mayor, dies at 70, weeks after taking office
Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas has died, multiple sources tell CBS News, weeks after taking office. He was 70 years old.
Turner also served as Houston’s mayor from 2016 to 2025.
The city of Houston confirmed his death and Mayor John Whitmire released a statement calling him a “remarkable public servant who impacted millions of people.”
“He rose from poverty, but never forgot where he came from,” Whitmire continued, calling Turner’s death “a terrible loss for the city.”
He appeared to have died suddenly; Turner attended President Trump’s joint address to Congress, a source said, but at some point, he started feeling unwell and went to the hospital. Another source said the cause of his death is unclear.
Turner won the seat in November after the July death of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Michael Kaplan and
Nikole Killion
contributed to this report.
