After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018, and testing positive for the coronavirus in late January, Republican Rep. Ron Wright, of Texas, passed away on February 7.
Underlying Condition
Representative Wright, 67, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018, and had been admitted to a hospital in Dallas in September of 2020 because of complications from his treatment. When he first tested positive for COVID in late January, he released a statement which confirmed that he was only experiencing “minor symptoms.”
COVID
Rep. Wright’s family confirmed his death to the Dallas Morning News on January 8. His office also released a statement about the tragic news.
“As friends, family, and many of his constituents will know, Ron maintained his quick wit and optimism until the very end. Despite years of painful, sometimes debilitating treatment for cancer, Ron never lacked the desire to get up and go to work, to motivate those around him, or to offer fatherly advice,” the statement read.
Here’s the statement from Ron Wright’s office on his death pic.twitter.com/XpWCEQSbQw
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 8, 2021
The statement also mentions that Representative Wright’s wife, Susan, had been hospitalized with COVID just two weeks ago.
Wright is the first sitting Congressman to pass away after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, though Louisiana Republican Representative-elect Luke Letlow, 41, passed away from a heart attack after being diagnosed with the coronavirus in late December of 2020, just a few days before he was to be sworn in.