Framingham State Rep. Chris Walsh Dies From Cancer

Rep. Chris Walsh, a Framingham Democrat in his fourth term in the Massachusetts House, died Wednesday night from cancer, his wife said on social media.

Walsh's wife, Cindy Walsh, said the representative died peacefully Wednesday night. He was 66 years old.

An architect by trade and the House vice chairman of the Committee on Education, Walsh was first diagnosed in July 2015 with non-Hodgkin's, small lymphocytic lymphoma and he underwent treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

A year ago, Walsh had planned to compete to be the first mayor of Framingham but soon thereafter announced that his lymphoma had returned and he would instead remain in the House and undergo cancer treatment.

"It has been a long year with five clinical trials and the cancer got the upper hand," Cindy Walsh posted on Facebook on Wednesday morning. "Love to all of you who have been with us through this."

Rep. Paul Brodeur, who joined the House in 2011 as a classmate of Walsh's, posted to Twitter on Thursday that Walsh "will be sorely missed" and commented that a photo with his post "captures his grace and good humor."

Walsh is the fourth sitting representative to have died this session, along with Reps. Gail Cariddi, Peter Kocot and James Miceli.

Walsh represented the 6th Middlesex District in the House, which covered much of Framingham.