Husband of Rep. Mary Peltola dies in plane accident in Alaska: 'We are heartbroken'

The husband of Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, died Wednesday in what her office said in a statement was “a plane accident” in Alaska.

“We are devastated to share that Mary’s husband, Eugene Peltola Jr., — ‘Buzzy’ to all of us who knew and loved him — passed away earlier this morning following a plane accident in Alaska,” Peltola’s chief of staff, Anton McParland, said in the statement that was shared on X, formerly Twitter.

“He was one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything. He had a delightful sense of humor that lightened the darkest moments. He was definitely the cook in the family.

“He was completely devoted to his parents, kids, siblings, extended family and friends — and he simply adored Mary. We are heartbroken for the family’s loss.”

McParland also said Peltola will go home to Alaska “to be with her family” and asked the public for privacy.

Reuters reported the accident was a plane crash on Sept. 12. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crashed happened shortly after the plane took off near St. Mary's, Alaska, at about 8:45 p.m. local time, the news agency reported. Peltola was piloting the singe-engine Piper aircraft and was the only person on board.

TODAY.com has not confirmed those details.

St. Mary's is in western Alaska, about a two-hour flight from Anchorage.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, grieved Peltola’s death in a statement.

“The entire House Democratic Caucus is mourning the loss of Buzzy and we are lifting Mary and the Peltola family up in prayer. We will be there for her in any way she needs during this unimaginable time of tragedy,” he said in a statement.

Mary Peltola, 50, won a seat in Congress in November 2022, defeating former Alaska Governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Nick Bagich III. That win came after Peltola became the first Alaska Native in Congress when she won a special election to replace Republican Don Young after he died.

Multiple politicians have died in plane crashes in Alaska. In 1972, House Majority Leader Thomas Hale Boggs Sr., D-Louisiana., disappeared on a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. Also onboard was Bagich’s grandfather, Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska. The plane and the passengers’ remains were never found.

In 2010, former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and four others died in a crash, while four others survived.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com