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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Former state Rep. Jim Coley died Sunday, according to his son and several public officials on social media.

“I’m sure some of you have heard already, but my dad Jim Coley passed away yesterday. We have already gotten so much support and appreciate all the love that’s been shared with us,” Evan Coley wrote on Facebook.

Coley, a former teacher and a Republican, represented the Bartlett, Cordova and Wolfchase areas for 14 years until he retired in 2020. He had been diagnosed with early-stage dementia.

State Rep. Antonio Parkinson of Memphis and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland both mourned Coley’s passing on social media Monday.

Parkinson, a Democrat, praised Coley, calling him “one of the kindest, most compassionate persons I knew in the TN legislature. He NEVER let partisanship drive his decision making. He was about the people.”

Memorial services have not been announced.