Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has died at the age of 77.
The Manhattan Democrat, who had been battling health problems in recent years, died Monday while he was in federal custody in Massachusetts. Silver was sentenced to spend over six years behind bars after being convicted for a second time on corruption charges. He spent more than two decades as the Assembly Speaker but left office after being arrested in 2015. He was replaced by current Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.