U.S. Congressman and longtime Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has died from enduring health complications. He was 70.
Turner died in his Washington, D.C., home Wednesday morning after attending President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, his family said in a statement.
Texas Rep. Gene Wu, who represents District 137 in the Houston area, served alongside Turner in the Texas House and counted him as a friend. Wu said when he received the news of Turner’s passing, his first reaction was to hope it wasn’t true.
“I was quietly praying to myself that it was a mistake, that it’s a hoax,” Wu said. “Because I just saw him last week, and it’s somebody that I hoped to have a much longer relationship with and someone who’s worked so hard in their life. And I just wish that they had some time to slow down and like, enjoy their first grandchild and just enjoy the people that love him and care about him.”
» MORE: From Acres Homes to D.C. — Sylvester Turner’s life, legacy in Houston
Wu described Turner as a mentor figure, one of the only lawmakers Wu had ever heard of when he started working in the Capitol as a staffer in 2005.
“Before I went into the building, the only names that I had known before becoming a staffer were like Senfronia Thompson, who’s the longest serving Democrat in the House, the longest serving woman and African-American, and Sylvester Turner,” Wu said. “They were both from Houston. They’re both just renowned for standing up for the little people, standing up for the working class and for the poor, standing up for people who just have a boot on their neck.
“And that’s partly what inspired me to run for office and do all these things because, like, I want to be like them.”
Sylvester was more than just a colleague to me—he was my advisor, mentor, & personal hero.
To Ashley & his entire family, thank you so much for sharing such an amazing person with us.
To @SylvesterTurner, you are my brother & I will always love you.
Rest in power, my friend. pic.twitter.com/ZUKVH2lsQ7
— Gene Wu (@GeneforTexas) March 5, 2025
Wu said when he first arrived at the Legislature as a newly elected lawmaker, he found Turner to be full of wisdom he was happy to share.
“My favorite picture that I have in my office is one where we’re sitting side-by-side at his desk and like, we’re going through one of my bills and he’s telling me point by point on my bill, like what needs to happen,” Wu said. “And I’m like, this is like one of my heroes who doesn’t know me from Adam, who just because I asked for help, he says, he dropped everything he was doing, sat me down and worked with me for 30 minutes while he had other things to do. That’s leadership.”
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To Wu, Turner was the epitome of public service.
“I think Sylvester, like many people, when he first ran, got tired of it, he got sick of it. He watched his people suffer, and he did something about it,” Wu said. “And he didn’t just do something about it one time. He did something about it for like 40 years. Everywhere that he went, everything that he touched became better.
“I think the state owes him a debt. His community owes him a heartfelt thanks and appreciation for all that he sacrificed.”
And although Turner was a Democrat in the Texas House and therefore among the minority party, Wu said that distinction never mattered to him.
“I think for him and many other people, no matter who was in charge, they were fighting for the little people,” Wu said. “No matter if it was Democrats or Republicans in charge – poor people are poor people. Working people are working people.
“Whether it’s under Democrats or Republicans, they still don’t have enough power. They don’t still have enough voice. I just cannot give enough praise to someone who consistently and steadfastly stood up for the people who had no power and had no voice.”
