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Former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco Succumbs To Cancer Battle

Stephanie Landry

Louisiana's first female governor, Kathleen Blanco, passed away Sunday, August 18, after a battle with cancer.

Blanco was 76. She had been diagnosed with her second round of cancer in 2017 and died at a Lafayette hospice center she entered earlier this year.

Blanco served as governor from 2004 to 2008, choosing not to run for a second term after having led the state through Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which devastated the region.  

Governor John Bel Edwards released a statement Sunday saying, "while she knew that her name would forever be linked with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it was her dying wish that she be remembered for her faith in God, commitment to family and love of Louisiana."

Before being elected to various state government positions, she was a school teacher in Acadiana.

Former Governor Blanco will lie in state at the Louisiana Capitol on Thursday. A funeral will take place Saturday in Lafayette. Governor Edwards has ordered flags be flown at half-staff until then.

Copyright 2021 WRKF. To see more, visit .

Wallis Watkins is a Baton Rouge native. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Louisiana State University in 2013. Soon after, she joined WRKF as an intern and is now reporting on health and health policy for Louisiana's Prescription.

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