New York Daily News

Luke Letlow, a newly elected U.S. congressman set to represent Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District, died from COVID-19 on Tuesday. He was 41.

Letlow, a Republican who won his House seat in a Dec. 5 special election in the northeast Louisiana district, died at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport Academic Medical Center, the Associated Press reported.

Letlow was diagnosed with the disease Dec. 18. He was admitted to a hospital the next day and then transferred to the Shreveport facility’s intensive care unit Dec. 23.

“The family appreciates the numerous prayers and support over the past days but asks for privacy during this difficult and unexpected time,” Letlow’s campaign manager Andrew Bautsch said in a statement to the AP.

More than 335,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19, including more than 7,300 in Louisiana.

Letlow is survived by his wife, Julia, and their two children.