Former Democratic state Rep. Brent Yonts of Greenville died Friday morning following a battle with COVID-19.
Known for his colorful suits and blazers, Yonts was a lawyer who represented House District 15, including Muhlenberg County and part of Hopkins County from 1997 to 2022.
Yonts have been in critical condition as well as in the ICU for 2 weeks coupled with recently been put on a ventilator, according to some Facebook post from his daughter Ellen Yonts Suetholz.
\”It has taken a toll on him and also the hospital did everything easy to prevent this from happening but as he remains critical, it was your best option,\” she wrote.
He was 72 years of age and married to Janice Yonts, the mayor of Greenville.
Gov. Andy Beshear issued a statement calling Yonts a \”leader who worked to higher the lives of Kentuckians across the commonwealth.\”
\”Britainy and that i extend our deepest sympathies to Jan and the entire Yonts family once we hold them near the coast prayer in this hard time,\” Beshear said.
Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge said the party was devastated through the news of Yonts' death.
\”Representative Yonts was a dedicated public servant, who loved his family, community, west Kentucky, and our commonwealth,\” Elridge wrote in a statement. \”Brent will forever be remembered for his colorful sport jackets, his tireless support at work, his hard work on tough subjects – like criminal justice, pension reforms, mine safety and rural water access – and the desire to make Kentucky a better place.\”
Former Rep. Jim Wayne, a Democrat who represented House District 35 in Louisville from 1991 to 2022, said Yonts was fully vaccinated and his death ought to be a note for individuals to get the shot and wear masks.
\”We really are a community of humans who take care for one another, not a mass of selfish individuals ranting about our 'rights,'\” Wayne said.
Yonts was the chair of the home State Government Committee before Republicans won control of the chamber in 2022.
He done attempts to stabilize the state's pension systems and reform the state’s criminal justice system.
Yonts lost a race for reelection in 2022 to current GOP Rep. Melinda Gibbons Prunty. He unsuccessfully ran for that seat again in 2022.
