Long Beach Councilmember Roberto Uranga is temporarily stepping away from his official duties following the death of his youngest son, his office announced Saturday.

Roberto Tomas “Tito” Uranga, 34, died Thursday, Sept. 22 following a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, according to a statement Councilmember Uranga’s 7th District office posted on Facebook. He is survived by his wife Adrienne and son Thomas, his siblings Rosalinda and Emiliano and his parents Tonia and Roberto.

Tito Uranga was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that spread from his bladder to his lungs in October 2020, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized by Long Beach City College Trustee Herlinda Chico. At the time, both Tito and his wife were longtime employees of the Long Beach Hyatt hotel but were out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic shut-downs, according to the GoFundMe.

As a result of his son’s death, Councilmember Uranga “experienced a medical emergency” and will be “taking some time off to focus on his family, health, and well-being,” according to his office. It is unknown how long Uranga will be on leave, according to Uranga’s office, but he “expects to return to his duties as Councilmember as soon as possible.”

Until that happens, 7th District office staff will handle constituent services, according to the Facebook post.

In the June Primary election, Uranga won reelection to a third term with more than 60% of the vote.