AJ Cooper, the former host of BET’s Teen Summit and a budding politician, died suddenly on Wednesday morning at the age of 34.
“Algernon (‘Jay’) Cooper, III passed suddenly and unexpectedly this morning after complaining about chest pain and dizziness,” a post on the Elect AJ Cooper Facebook page announced.
The Washington D.C. native hosted Teen Summit in the early 2000s, during his high-school and college years. He also acted in two small films before joining the Marine Corps and later working as the policy director for the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. He officially launched his political career in 2012 when he ran unsuccessfully for two at-large D.C. Council seats.
During the next year, he worked primarily with Freedom Farms, an urban farming initiative that seeks to wipe out food deserts. AJ launched a new campaign last month for the Ward 4 council seat being vacated by mayor-elect Muriel E. Bowser.
Following the news of his sudden passing, outgoing mayor Vincent C. Gray paid tribute on Twitter: “My heart goes out to the family of AJ Cooper who tragically passed away this morning. He was a positive force & touched the lives of many.”
According to a statement from the Cooper family, AJ got engaged to a woman named Ryan Palmer around Thanksgiving. The family added, “He was excited about beginning a life with Ryan and being more involved in the life of the city.”
