Newly released information reveals that Luke Letlow, the Republican representative-elect from Louisiana who died after contracting COVID-19, suffered a heart attack following a surgical procedure.
Louisiana State University Health Shreveport Chancellor G.E. Ghali provided the new details from the hospital where Letlow was treated prior to his death.
“It’s devastating to our entire team,” Ghali said. “He had no underlying conditions. It was just COVID.”
Letlow, who was 41, first announced he contracted the disease in a tweet on Dec. 18. After being hospitalized at St. Francis Medical Center, he was transferred to the intensive care unit at Ochsner LSU Health on Dec. 22. Letlow’s campaign manager, Andrew Bautsch, confirmed the representative-elect’s death in a statement on Tuesday.
“Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, 41, passed away this evening at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport due to complications from COVID-19,” Bautsch wrote, adding that “the family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time.”
Letlow’s death was widely mourned throughout Louisiana. John Bel Edwards, the state’s Democratic governor, shared his condolences shortly after the announcement.
“It is with heavy hearts that @FirstLadyOfLA and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s family on his passing after a battle with COVID-19. #lagov,” he wrote.
It is with heavy hearts that @FirstLadyOfLA and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s family on his passing after a battle with COVID-19. #lagov
— John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) December 30, 2020
According to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker, Louisiana, which was once a hot spot for the virus, continues to see rapid spread. The state has documented 311,000 cases of the disease to date, with 7,448 deaths attributed to the coronavirus.
