Contracts rare form of cancer and dies.
U.S. Rep. Robert Matsui (news, bio, voting record) of California, a top Democrat in Congress re-elected overwhelmingly in November to a 14th two-year term, has died of a rare blood disorder, his office said on January 2, 2005. He was 63. Matsui recently contracted the illness and died late on Saturday at Bethesda Naval Hospital surrounded by family, his office said in a statement. (Reuters)
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Matsui was the third-ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee and the top Democrat on the panel's Social Security Subcommittee
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A special election will be held in California's 5th District to replace Matsui.
His office said that in recent months, Matsui had been battling Milo Dysplastic Disorder, a rare disorder that causes an inability of the bone marrow to produce blood products, such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
The disorder leaves the patient at a heightened susceptibility to illness and compromises the ability to fight illness when it occurs, his office said. Matsui entered Bethesda Naval Hospital on Dec. 24 with pneumonia, a complication that developed as a result of his prior illness.
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