WASHINGTON: A representative-elect from Louisiana died of Covid-19 Tuesday, the first member of the US Congress to succumb to the disease.

Republican Luke Letlow, 41, had been elected to Louisiana’s 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday.

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards announced the news on Twitter with a “heavy heart.”

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