Washington - An Ohio Democratic congresswoman died Wednesday evening after suffering a brain aneurysm while driving her car, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, 58, was the first black woman elected to represent Ohio in the US House of Representatives in 1998.

"Throughout the course of the day and into this evening, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones medical condition declined. Medical doctors and neurosurgeons from Huron Hospital and Cleveland Clinic sadly report that at 6:12 pm (2212 GMT) Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones died," a hospital statement said.

She had been a strong supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential bid and was set to be a super delegate at next week's Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. She threw her support behind Barack Obama in June after the end of the fiercely fought primary battle.

"She co-chaired Hillary's campaign and got such grief from the black community," said Mary Boergers, a Maryland state senator and Clinton organizer. "She was fabulous. She was there all the way, there was no back pedalling."

Jones represented much of the city of Cleveland and its suburbs and was in her fifth two-year term in Congress, where she led the ethics committee.