Former Assemblyman Richard Brodsky died on Wednesday, with the suspected cause of death related to complications from the coronavirus.

Brodsky, a Westchester County Democrat, was an outsized personality in the halls of the Capitol. He ran for attorney general twice, dropping out of the race in 2006 when his daughter needed a kidney operation.

Brodsky led a push to open up transparency laws in state government, especially for quasi-public authorities, corporations and development agencies. His campaign for the Democratic nomination in 2010 led him to quit the Assembly, but he remained an active participant in state government.

A pugnacious and cantankerous debater who reveled an argument, Brodsky wrote a column for the Times Union in Albany, and most recently, successfully led a Working Families Party-backed lawsuit to help the party maintain its ballot status.

“Richard was not just a colleague, he was a friend and a mentor to me when I was first elected to the Assembly,” said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie in a statement. “It was an honor to serve with him and watch as he fought, not just for his constituents, but for all New Yorkers. On behalf of all his former colleagues in the Assembly, I offer our condolences to his wife and children, and their family and friends.”