Former Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham. (Photo by Brian Fisher)

Former Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham. (Photo by Brian Fisher)

Former Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham has died.

Graham, who served as councilmember for Ward 1 from 1998 to 2015, was 71 years old and the second openly gay member of the D.C. Council. His death was announced on the D.C. Council Twitter feed.

“I am saddened to learn of the passing, earlier today, of former Councilmember Jim Graham,” said Chairman Phil Mendelson in a statement. “On the Council, Jim worked especially hard on issues like homelessness, juvenile justice, diversity, and public transportation. The District thanks him for his long public service and many accomplishments. He left our city a better place.”

Current Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who unseated Graham in the 2014 Democratic primaries amid scandals about his chief of staff’s arrest on bribery charges in 2009 and an alleged breach of ethics in pushing for a contract for a political contributor, said in a statement that “it was no secret that we did not always see eye to eye, but there was no question as to his deep love for the people of Ward 1.”

Before and during his time on the council dais, Graham was known for his advocacy on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS in D.C., serving as the first executive director of Whitman-Walker from 1984 to 1999, during the peak of the AIDS crisis in D.C. Under his tenure, the facility expanded its operations to include 250 full-time staffers and 1,200 volunteers, according to The Washington Blade.

He told The Washington Post as he readied to leave his council seat that he hoped residents would remember him by the changes he helped bring to his ward, particularly on U Street and Columbia Heights. “It was empty lots, chain-link fences, nothing going on. It’s hugely different now, even though nobody remembers it. I have to stop and remind myself.”

He was also known for his constituent services, telling The Post that “Constituent services was my cup of tea, definitely, and being able to see small changes but multiplied many times over helping people. This is what I like to do.”

After leaving the council, Graham began working as the special events director for The House, a Georgia Avenue strip club, where he promoted “Rock Hard Sunday.”

Earlier this month, Graham was hospitalized with an intestinal ailment, though he was transferred to a rehabilitation center. Christopher Watkins, a friend of Graham’s, told The Washington Blade that his condition worsened and he returned to the hospital on June 8.

Information about services is forthcoming.

D.C. officials and organizations have taken to social media to share their condolences.

This post will be updated.

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