(WASHINGTON) — California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa has died at the age of 65, according to his office — as President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican leaders reacted Tuesday to the seven-term congressman’s unexpected death. 

LaMalfa’s chief of staff, Mark Spannagel, released a statement on behalf of the congressman’s office confirming his death early Tuesday morning.

“Early this morning Congressman Doug LaMalfa returned home to the Lord. He leaves a lasting legacy of servant leadership [and] kindness to the North State,” the statement noted. “His humor and work effort are legendary – with one reporter once saying he’d look in the back yard of every BBQ just to see if Doug was there visiting.”

“Congressman LaMalfa cared deeply for the people he served and worked tirelessly to hold the government to its word to fix our failing forests, build water storage, and leave people to be free to choose what is best for themselves,” the statement continued. “His tragic and unexpected passing leaves a deep impact on many. He leaves behind his amazing wife Jill, four children, one grandchild, two sisters and a host of cousins.”

LaMalfa’s untimely death cuts into Speaker Johnson’s thin majority, with 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats leaving GOP leaders with a two-vote margin. This comes just a day after Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from office a year before her term was set to expire.

“Congress is devastated to learn this morning about the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Doug LaMalfa,” Johnson, R-La., said in a statement. “Doug was a lifelong resident of northern California and deeply loved its people. He was as fierce of a fighter for his state’s vast natural resources and beauty as we have ever known. We are mourning the loss of our friend and brother today and we send our respects for his life and work to his wife Jill and the LaMalfa family during this difficult time.”

President Trump, speaking Tuesday morning at a House Republican retreat at the recently renamed Kennedy Center, reacted to LaMalfa’s passing — praising him as “a fierce champion on California water issues.”

“Before we go any further, I want to express our tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member, a great, great, great member: Congressman Doug LaMalfa,” Trump said.

“He was great on water. He wanted to release the water, he’d scream out, and a true defender of American children. He was a defender of everybody. And our hearts go out to his wife, Jill and his entire family,” Trump added. 

The president claimed that LaMalfa voted with him “100% of the time” and wasn’t a member that the speaker needed the president to whip into line.

“I spoke to Doug, but I didn’t speak to him about — I mean, I never had a problem,” Trump said. “And I was really, I was really saddened by his passing and was thinking about not even doing the speech in his honor. But then I decided that I have to do it in his honor. I’ll do it in his honor, because he would have wanted it that way.”

Across the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who took office in 2013 alongside LaMalfa, extended his condolences to the congressman’s family and constituents. 

“I join people across Northern California in mourning the untimely passing of Congressman Doug LaMalfa. A fourth-generation rice farmer, Rep. LaMalfa treasured his community, worked powerfully to protect California’s farmers and served those he represented with principled purpose, from the state legislature to the United States House of Representatives,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., stated. “Doug and I joined the Congress as classmates in 2013, and it was an honor to witness firsthand his passion and personal resolve for more than a decade.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said flags at the California State Capitol will be flown at half-staff in honor of LaMalfa.

“Congressman Doug LaMalfa was a devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented. While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care. He will be deeply missed,” Newsom said in a statement.

Before coming to Washington, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy not only served in the California state legislature with LaMalfa — the two were roommates.

“Doug was first and foremost a devoted husband and father, inspired by his Christian faith and values to make the lives of others better. Many will remember him as a principled legislator, but he was also a commonsense rice farmer through and through, spending his time in Congress fighting for family farms on agriculture, water, and resource issues, as well as working to eliminate government waste like California’s high-speed rail,” McCarthy wrote on X. “Always thoughtful and affable, Doug was the unanimous choice of his colleagues to lead the Western Caucus in Congress. He will be truly missed.”

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