Ex-Detroit congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick dead at 80
Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, the matriarch of a Detroit political family whose power was dimmed by her son's corruption scandal, died Tuesday following a long illness, family and friends said. She was 80.
The mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick served seven terms in Congress and nine terms in the Michigan House of Representatives as a Democrat. She was denied an eighth term in Congress in 2010, losing a Democratic primary to then-state Sen. Hansen Clarke, two years after Kwame Kilpatrick left office in a scandal that would send him to prison.
In a statement confirming her death, the Kilpatrick family described their matriarch as "a tireless warrior for the city of Detroit and an unwavering champion for her constituents."
"For over 32 years, Congresswoman Kilpatrick held elected office with passion, integrity and an unwavering commitment to bringing positive change to our community," the family said in a statement that Kwame Kilpatrick sent Tuesday night to The Detroit News.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/07/former-detroit-congresswoman-carolyn-cheeks-kilpatrick-dead-at-age-80/86574777007/