Former Nashville Council Member Tony Tenpenny has died due to complications from COVID-19, Vice Mayor Jim Shulman confirmed Sunday.
Tony Tenpenny was hospitalized at one of the St. Thomas hospitals for more than a month and was placed on a ventilator in early September.
“I am always saddened when I learn of the death of a former elected official,” Shulman said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family as they face this loss.”
Tenpenny, a conservative member of the Council, served between 2011-2015, represented District 16.
He and his wife, Robbie Tenpenny are the owners and directors of Lee House-Nashville Recovery Residences.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I let you all know, Tony passed away yesterday. Please pray for me, our son Ira and family as we process this tragic loss,” Robbie Tenpenny said in a Sunday post on Facebook.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former councilman Tony Tenpenny. I send my condolences to his wife, Robbie, their son Ira and the rest of the Tenpenny family,” Cooper said Sunday in a Twitter post.
In the months before his death, Tony Tenpenny shared social media posts calling into question the veracity of the ongoing global pandemic and the government’s response.