Angela Chao, the sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was killed in a Car accident, her family announced on Tuesday.
Chao died at the age of 50 in the accident, NBC News reported. No details about what happened were immediately available.
Angelaâs father, Chinese-American businessman James S.C. Chao, said his family was âheartbrokenâ to confirm her death.
âAngelaâs name in Chinese sounds like the characters for peace and prosperity,â James Chow said in a statement.
âShe certainly gave more than her share of both to this world,â he added. âHer absence leaves a void not only in our hearts, but in the Asian-American community.â
Angela Chao was the CEO of the shipping company Foremost Group, which her father founded.
Chao said his late daughter was âa wonderful and inquisitive companionâ when he took her to his office in her youth during âTake Your Daughter to Workâ days.
She would eventually run the company beginning in 2018.
âShe kept us laughing and smiling,â Chao concluded. âShe believed deeply that the true treasures in life are family, friends and helping others. Losing her at such a young age is something we never even imagined, and our entire family is devastated with grief.â
Neither McConnell nor his wife Elaine Chao had commented publicly on Angelaâs death as of Wednesday morning.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a close ally of McConnell, issued a statement on the death:
Collins wrote:
âThe passing of Angela Chao is a tragedy. An extraordinarily accomplished business leader and expert in the maritime industry, she also was generous with her time and talent to a number of philanthropic organizations.
âMy heart goes out to Angelaâs sister, former Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, and her brother-in-law, Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, as well as to her father, husband, and her other family members.â
Elaine Chao served as former President Donald Trumpâs secretary of transportation from January 2017 to January 2021.
She previously worked for former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Elaine and McConnell married in 1993.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.