PITTSBURGH -- Mayor Bob O'Connor died Friday night at UPMC Shadyside hospital, where he had been battling a rare form of cancer for nearly two months. He was 61.

Gov. Ed Rendell has ordered state flags in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to be flown at half-staff.

In accordance with the city charter, City Council President Luke Ravenstahl became the new mayor after O'Connor's death. A short swearing-in ceremony was held at the City-County Building downtown.
Related: Ravenstahl Sworn In

O'Connor was diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma on July 10. Doctors found four small tumors on his brain and began chemotherapy.

The chemo failed to shrink the tumors, so doctors changed their approach and quickly began whole-brain radiation, followed by intensity-modulated radiation therapy that directly targeted the affected part of O'Connor's brain.

O'Connor's medical team said brain scans on Sunday night and Monday indicated seizure activity, and tests showed that infection may have involved his drain and spinal fluid.

He underwent a 30-minute surgical procedure Monday evening in which a drain to remove fluid buildup from his brain was replaced with a new antibiotics-coated drain, the hospital said.

Listed in serious condition after the surgery, O'Connor's condition worsened quickly.

After 3 p.m. Tuesday, the hospital and a mayoral spokesman stopped providing the twice-daily media updates that had been common earlier in O'Connor's illness. Two days later, word broke that O'Connor was near death.

During the mayor's hospitalization, many Pittsburghers showed their support by signing a large "Get Well" sign outside the City-County Building downtown.

About 10,000 black-and-gold rubber bracelets with the saying "Everybody's Mayor ... Bob O'Connor" were sold throughout the city. Proceeds from the $2 wristbands benefited the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

O'Connor lived with his wife, Judy, in Squirrel Hill. He is also survived by his daughter, Heidy, the mother of his three granddaughters; his son Terry, a Catholic priest; and his son Corey, a student at Duquesne University.