Former Houston Mayor and U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner has died, according to U.S. representatives and a Houston council member.

Houston's former mayor, Congressman Sylvester Turner, passed away at 70 years old, Mayor John Whitmire announced during a council meeting on Wednesday. Whitmire told the council that Turner was in Washington D.

I’ve lost a personal friend,” a somber Mayor John Whitmire said before the City Council. “No one will be able to step into Sylvester’s shoes and carry on his duties because there’s only one Sylvester Turner.