Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly died on May 21 at age 75, weeks after announcing that his esophageal cancer had returned.
The Democratic congressman first announced his diagnosis in November 2024, two days after winning reelection to his ninth congressional term.
At the time, Connolly said he’d only had one physical symptom and that the diagnosis came as a “surprise.”
Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly died early on Wednesday, May 21, six months after revealing that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He was 75 years old.
“It is with immense sadness that we share that our devoted and loving father, husband, brother, friend, and public servant, Congressman Gerald E. Connolly, passed away peacefully at his home this morning surrounded by family,” Connolly’s family shared in a statement on X.
The longtime representative of Virginia’s 11th Congressional District is the third House Democrat to die since March, all of whom faced health complications only a few months into the new congressional term.
Connolly first announced that he had cancer on Nov. 7, 2024, just two days after winning reelection to his ninth term in the U.S. House. In the statement, Connolly said he’d only had one small hint that something could be wrong prior to his “surprise” diagnosis.
“Except for some intermittent abdominal aches and pains, I had no symptoms,” he wrote.
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Rep. Gerry Connolly speaks at a gun control vigil on May 25, 2022
At the time, Connolly announced that he planned to continue his congressional work while undergoing chemotherapy and immunotherapy “right away.”
“Over the next few months as I do my job here in our district and on the Hill, I may be a bit fatigued due to the treatment. I hope you’ll understand,” he continued. “Be assured I’m full of hope and am sustained by the love, support, and encouragement of my family, friends, and of all of you.”
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However, in April, the congressman shared another health update and announced that he would not be seeking another term in Congress due to the return of his cancer.
He also said that he planned to step down from his leadership position as the top Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee, a role he was given over 35-year-old New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Acknowledging that the “sun is setting on my time in public service,” he wrote, “With no rancor and a full heart, I move into this final chapter full of pride in what we’ve accomplished together over 30 years.”
Days before his death, Connolly expressed his sadness over the news of former President Joe Biden’s stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis on May 18.
“Deeply saddened to learn of my friend Joe Biden’s diagnosis,” he wrote on X. “My heart is with him and the entire Biden family as he fights this terrible disease.”
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