Late State Sen. Peralta’s Wife Says He Fell Ill

The wife of the late New York state Sen. Jose Peralta says that the senator, who died Wednesday night at Elmhurst Hospital, fell ill more than a week ago.

Peralta’s wife, Evelyn, told reporters he had felt pressure behind his ears and headaches for a week or more and had seen a doctor, according to local news outlets. But his condition didn’t raise alarms until he developed a fever Tuesday and became disoriented and had trouble breathing Wednesday, when he was taken to a hospital, she said.

She said the family believes his illness was an infection, but is awaiting autopsy results.

“We really don’t know what happened,” she said. “He just took a turn for the worst.”

Peralta, the first Dominican-American elected to the Senate, was 47 and nearing the end of nearly two decades in office after losing a primary this fall.

Peralta represented parts of Queens in New York’s Senate for eight years and served in the state Assembly for eight years before that. As a senator, he was a member of a breakaway Democratic group that, for a time, formed a coalition with Republicans to control the chamber.

Peralta and his wife had two sons.