Earlier Wednesday, media outlets, citing “sources familiar with the situation,” erroneously reported that Tubbs Jones had died. Her doctor said a short time later that she was in “critical condition” at a hospital in East Cleveland, Ohio.
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EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio – Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday, a Cleveland Clinic official said.
Tubbs Jones, 58, died at 6:12 p.m. after suffering a brain hemorrhage that caused an aneurysm that burst and left her with limited brain function, spokeswoman Eileen Sheil said
“Throughout the course of the day and into this evening, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones’ medical condition declined,” Sheil said in a statement from the clinic and Tubbs Jones’ family.
The liberal Democrat, first elected in 1998, suffered the hemorrhage while driving her car in Cleveland Heights Tuesday night, said Dr. Gus Kious, president of Huron Hospital in East Cleveland.
She had suffered “a very serious brain hemorrhage” caused by an aneurysm ; a dangerous weakness or bulge in a blood vessel ; that burst in an inaccessible part of her brain, he said.
Tubbs Jones, elected in 1998, was one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s biggest boosters during the primaries and is to be a superdelegate at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Although she backed Barack Obama in June, Tubbs Jones has said Obama can’t win unless Clinton’s supporters rally behind him.
“She is a passionate and tireless advocate for the people of Cleveland and a devoted public servant for all Americans,” Obama said in a statement. “We send our heartfelt prayers to Stephanie and her family at this very difficult time.”
Tubbs Jones, elected in 1998, was one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s biggest boosters during the primaries and is to be a superdelegate at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Tubbs Jones represented the heavily Democratic 11th District and chaired the ethics committee in the House. She was the first black woman to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, where she opposed President Bush’s tax cuts and his efforts to create personal accounts within Social Security.
Several news organizations, including The Associated Press, had earlier reported that Tubbs Jones had died but doctors said she was in critical condition. The AP cited a Democratic official.
The reports prompted Sen. John Kerry to issue a statement mourning her passing.
This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Source: Current,com
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