Forner Mayor of Houston and Congressman Sylvester Turner dead at 70

Yes, former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner passed away on March 4, 2025, at the age of 70. He died in Washington, D.C., shortly after attending President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress that evening. Current Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed the news during a city council meeting on March 5, stating that Turner had been taken to a hospital on Tuesday night, where he was pronounced dead. Turner’s body is being held in D.C., following standard protocol for a sitting member of Congress.

Turner had a long career in public service. He served as Houston’s mayor from January 2, 2016, to January 1, 2024, leading the city through challenges like Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he spent 27 years in the Texas House of Representatives. In November 2024, he won election to the U.S. House, representing Texas’s 18th Congressional District, succeeding the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. He took office in January 2025, just two months before his death.

In 2022, Turner revealed he had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer in his jaw, and underwent surgery and radiation. He declared himself cancer-free later that year, but no official cause of death has been released as of March 5, 2025. Posts on X and various news outlets suggest his health may have been a factor, though this remains unconfirmed.

Turner’s death has prompted reactions across Houston and beyond. Mayor Whitmire called him a “remarkable public servant” who “rose from poverty to meet with Presidents but never forgot where he came from.” Flags in Houston are being lowered to half-staff. With his passing, Gov. Greg Abbott can call a special election to fill the vacant congressional seat, though no timeline is mandated.