Texas Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee dies after cancer battle

 July 20, 2024

Sheila Jackson Lee, a longtime Democratic congresswoman from Texas, has passed away at the age of 74.

"Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas," her family said in a statement.

Back in June 2024, Jackson Lee announced that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and admitted that "the road ahead will not be easy" but that she had "faith that God will strengthen me."

Jackson Lee was born in 1950 in Queens, New York.

She is recognized as being one of the first women to graduate from Yale University and was eventually elected to Texas' 18th Congressional District in 1994.

Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and other prominent Democrats are no doubt mourning the death of Jackson Lee right now.

Regardless of what side of the aisle she was on, we pray that her friends and family receive the peace and comfort they require.