BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Bruno Covas, the mayor of Sao Paulo, died of cancer on Sunday, according to the press office of Brazil’s biggest city. He was 41.

Covas, a grandson of a governor of Sao Paulo state, was elected as state congressman and later to the national congress before becoming mayor in 2018. He was re-elected as mayor last year.

His party, the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, mourned his death, describing Covas as one of its ″most promising and brilliant leaders” and praising his efforts to build new schools, hospitals and housing for Sao Paulo.

Covas, who took leave from his job in early May, was suffering from cancer of the digestive system. Last month, doctors said the cancer had spread to his liver and bones.

The deputy mayor, Ricardo Nunes, will lead the city for the remainder of the mayor’s term, which ends in early 2025.