HOUSTON - Congressman and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has died at the age of 70, multiple sources, including Democratic party officials, confirm. Rep. Turner was elected to Texas' 18th Congressional District in November. He previously served as the mayor of Houston for eight years after being elected in 2015, reaching his term limit.

As mayor of Houston, he led the nation’s fourth-largest city through devastating flooding from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner throws out the first pitch at Minute Maid Field before the Houston Astros play the New York Mets in the first game after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, U.S., September 2,