Tom LaPahe, a former delegate to the Navajo Nation Council, died on Thursday. He was 59.

LaPahe served the e Tachee, Blue Gap and Whippoorwill communities for 24 years. He only spoke Navajo on the council floor.

"I am shocked and saddened about the sudden passing of my friend and colleague, Tom LaPahe,” Navajo Nation Council Speaker Johnny Naize said in a press release. “His leadership on the Council and his dedication to improve the lives of the families in the communities he represented was extremely admirable. He loved the Navajo Nation and never lost faith in the potential of its people.”

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Former 24-year Navajo Nation lawmaker dies (AP 3/9)