PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- Newly-elected Pembroke Pines Mayor Sue Katz has died.

Video

Pines Mayor Dies

Katz, 60, had been battling ovarian cancer and underwent surgery last month, but there is no word yet on exactly how she died.

"I'm in shock," said Sandra Rau, the mayor's assistant.

Katz, who served six years as a commissioner in Pembroke Pines, never even had a chance to get settled in her new office. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just days after the election. Friends and colleagues said she was doing what she could to fulfill her mayoral duties at home and at the hospital.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Ben Fiorendino will fill in as interim mayor. While he had kind words for his deceased colleague, he was not sure when the city might hold another election.

"She was a lovely lady. She was an excellent commissioner," said Fiorendino. "(She) knew the issues, studied them, and was very vocal on any of them that she didn't think were right. And you knew where she was coming from."

A memorial Service for Katz will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at the River of Grass Theatre at the Academic Village, located at 17189 Sheridan Street in Pembroke Pines.

The Katz family plans to announce a specific charity to which donations can be made in lieu of flowers.