Overview

• Her family announced her death in a statement released to WXYZ on Oct. 8.
• She served seven terms in the U.S. House from 1997 to 2011, including work on the powerful Appropriations Committee and involvement in the Congressional Black Caucus.
• Supporters, including her family, credit her with helping secure funding for the Detroit Riverwalk and the train running down Woodward Avenue.
• She lost her 2010 Democratic primary after public attention to legal troubles involving her son, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
• She is survived by two children and eight grandchildren, with funeral arrangements to be announced.