Esteemed Texas Congressman Sylvester Turner has died from a medical complication, just hours after President Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday. He was 70.
Rep. Sylvester Turner had come down very ill hours before joint address
According to NBC News, Turner (D-Houston) suffered a medical emergency that afternoon while journeying the underground walkway that leads to the U.S. Capitol building, a fellow lawmaker dispatched U.S. Capitol police to his aid. Despite this, Turner was determined to attend the joint address, which he did. His health, however, continued to deteriorate irreparably.
Current Houston mayor pays homage to Rep. Sylvester Turner
“We’ve lost an outstanding public official,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in city hall on Wednesday. “Experience matters folks. No one will be able to step into Sylvester’s shoes and carry on his duties because there’s only one Sylvester Turner.”
Turner had issued a strong warning to Trump to try to dissuade him from touching Medicaid that would negatively impact millions of American families.
At a closed-door Democratic meeting, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., announced that Turner had died and that his family has been notified, according to one lawmaker who attended the meeting, NBC News reported.
The current mayor added, “I’m a better speaker because of Sylvester. You just can’t understand what it’s like to be in an African American — a Black church on Sunday morning with everyone enjoying the service and have to follow Sylvester Turner speaking. He will bring out the best in you in public service.”
Sylvester Turner had a long and legendary career as a lawmaker
Turner had just taken the oath of office in January 2025, filling the seat that had been vacated by the death of longtime legendary Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee who passed away from pancreatic cancer in July 2024.
Prior to that, Turner was the Mayor of Houston from 2016 to 2024. Before lording over Houston City Hall, Turner was already a legendary lawmaker who had served in the Texas state legislature for more than a quarter century.
