Representative Elijah Cummings, of Baltimore, died early Thursday at the age of 68

Representative Elijah Cummings, of Baltimore, died early Thursday at the age of 68, his office said. Cummings passed away at Johns Hopkins Hospital at 2:45 a.m. from "complications concerning longstanding health challenges," his office said.

He hadn't returned to work after having a medical procedure that he said would only keep him away for about a week, The Baltimore Sun noted.

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party and Cummings' wife, said in a statement that Cummings was "an honorable man who proudly served his district and the nation with dignity, integrity, compassion, and humility."

"He worked until his last breath because he believed our democracy was the highest and best expression of our collective humanity and that our nation's diversity was our promise, not our problem," Rockeymoore Cummings said. "I loved him deeply and will miss him dearly."

The House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman, a Democrat, and 23-year House veteran, was a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and a recent target of intense criticism from the president.

Cummings missed two roll call votes Thursday, the first day back following a two-week House recess. He previously released a statement saying he'd be back by the time the session resumed. He hadn't taken part in a roll call vote since Sept. 11.

The procedure already caused Cummings to miss a September hearing in Washington, D.C., statehood. The statement didn't detail the procedure.

He previously was treated for heart and knee issues.

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