State Sen. Jose Peralta Died From Leukemia: Medical Examiner

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State Sen. Jose Peralta died from leukemia, the New York City medical examiner's office revealed on Tuesday
The Democrat was 47 and nearing the end of nearly two decades in office after losing a primary last fall.
The cause of death had not been determined until now.

Former state Sen. Jose Peralta died from leukemia, the New York City medical examiner's office revealed on Tuesday.

The cause of the 47-year-old's Nov. 21 death was unknown until now; he died at Elmhurst Hospital.

Peralta's wife, Evelyn, told reporters he had felt pressure behind his ears and headaches for a week or more and had seen a doctor, according to local news outlets. But his condition didn't raise alarms until he developed a fever on Nov. 20 and became disoriented and had trouble breathing the next day, when he was taken to a hospital, she said.

His wife said the family believed his illness was an infection until the autopsy results.

"We really [didn't] know what happened," she said. "... He just took a turn for the worst."

Peralta represented parts of Queens in New York's Senate for eight years and served in the state Assembly for eight years before that. As a senator, he was a member of a breakaway Democratic group that, for a time, formed a coalition with Republicans to control the chamber. He was also the first Dominican-American elected to state Senate.