Republican Luke Letlow, a member of the United States House of Representatives, died of a Covid-19 infection at the age of 41, Tuesday, December 28. Mr Letlow is the first member of the United States Congress to succumb to the disease in the United States, the country most bereaved by the pandemic.
The representative of 5e Louisiana state district was to be sworn in on Sunday. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced his death on Twitter, writing: “It is with a heavy heart that @FirstLadyOfLA [la première Dame de Lousiane] and I offer our condolences to the family of MP-elect Luke Letlow, who died after battling Covid-19 ”. The governor said he ordered flags to be half-masted on the day of the funeral of Mr Letlow, who is survived by his wife and their two young children.
It is with heavy hearts that @FirstLadyOfLA and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s family o… https://t.co/kO51X0Lruc
Flags half mast
The parliamentarian himself announced, on December 18, that a screening test had given a positive result for him and that he was in quarantine at his home. He was hospitalized three days later.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi also expressed her condolences. “Our grief is all the more intense as it is added to that of so many other families who have also lost loved ones carried away by this appalling virus”, she asserted.
