NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New Jersey Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who was hospitalized on Monday, has died, her family said in a statement Tuesday released by Gov. Phil Murphy's office. She was 71.
"It is with incredible sadness and a heavy heart that we announce the passing of the Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver, Lieutenant Governor of the State of New Jersey," read the statement. "She was not only a distinguished public servant but also our cherished daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and hero."
Oliver had been serving as the Garden State's acting governor while Murphy was vacationing in Italy. But on Monday she was taken to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston for an undisclosed medical condition. Under the state constitution, Democratic Senate President Nicholas Scutari picked up the responsibility as acting governor.
The Oliver family's statement continued, "Sheila Y. Oliver leaves behind a legacy of dedication, service, and inspiration. We will remember her commitment to the people of New Jersey and her tireless efforts to uplift the community.
Murphy said in a statement he and First Lady Tammy Murphy were "distraught" over Oliver's death, adding, "When I selected her to be my running mate in 2017, Lieutenant Governor Oliver was already a trailblazer in every sense of the word. She had already made history as the first Black woman to serve as Speaker of the General Assembly, and just the second Black woman in the nation’s history to lead a house of a state legislature. I knew then that her decades of public service made her the ideal partner for me to lead the State of New Jersey. It was the best decision I ever made."
The family said further information and details regarding memorial arrangements will be provided at a later date.
"May her memory be a source of comfort and strength to all who knew her," the family said about the late Democratic lawmaker.
In 2010, she became the first African-American woman to serve as speaker of the state Assembly in the state’s history.