State Senator Ed Kennedy, a Lowell Democrat who served as a city councilor and mayor before joining the Legislature, died Wednesday, according to legislative officials. He was 74.
Senate President Karen E. Spilka informed members of the chamber in a Thursday email that Kennedy died, calling him a “valued member of the Senate and passionate advocate” for those in his district. Kennedy was first elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving two stints as a Lowell city councilor, including first from 1978 to 1985, and for two years as its mayor.
“Ed was a champion for education, environmental sustainability, cultural development and, of course, his beloved hometown of Lowell,” Spilka wrote.
Officials did not immediately cite a cause of death. A spokesperson for Kennedy’s office said he died Wednesday night, but said that she had no other information to share.
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Kennedy had a wife, Susan, and two children.
“Ed’s legacy is written into the very fabric of our community — in the neighborhoods he worked tirelessly to strengthen, the cultural and educational investments he championed, and the countless people he touched with his steady commitment to public service,” US Representative Lori Trahan said in a statement.
“He carried Lowell with him in every role he held,” she added, “never losing sight of the city that shaped him and that he, in turn, helped to shape for the better.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout.