CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – An Illinois lawmaker from part of central Illinois has died.
Several Springfield-area TV stations are reporting State Senator Scott Bennett was pronounced dead Friday afternoon, and that the Champaign County Coroner says he died of natural causes.
Bennett reportedly was taken to the hospital Thursday afternoon.
25 News reports Bennett’s wife Stacy says her husband died following complications with a large brain tumor, and that the death was sudden and unexpected.
Bennett, a native of Gibson City, was 45, and was the legislator who introduced the changes to the cashless bail provisions of the state’s SAFE-T Act lawmakers passed in the waning hours of the fall veto session.
“The loss of Senator Scott Bennett is an unexpected tragedy,” said State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria), in a news release. “Senator Bennett’s collegiality and dedication was instrumental to the work of refining and enhancing the SAFE-T Act, and his dedication to his community was paramount. His passing is a sad moment for our state as a whole, and his community, his friends, and his family in particular. We are united in grief with all who loved Senator Bennett, and wish peace and comfort for his family.”
Bennett, according to his legislative website, graduated from Illinois State University and went to law school at the University of Illinois. He’s a former Assistant State’s Attorney for McLean and Champaign Counties.
Bennett leaves behind a wife and two children.
“Today, the state of Illinois mourns the loss of a dedicated public servant and devoted father. Senator Scott Bennett was a good man who always operated with the best interest of his constituents in mind. Throughout his time in Springfield, he fiercely advocated for the institutions that shaped his life, from his upbringing on a Gibson City farm, all the way to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The entire state is a better place thanks to his service. MK and I send our thoughts to his loving wife Stacy and their two beautiful children during this difficult period.” –Gov. JB Pritzker statement
