David Mattax, the Texas insurancecommissioner, died Thursday, according to Weed-Corley-Fish FuneralHome.

Mattax, who was 60, learned he had lung cancer in late 2015,according to the Independent InsuranceAgents of Texas.

'Brilliant lawyer'

Mattax was appointed to serve as the Texas commissioner inJanuary 2015. He was elected secretary-treasurer of the National Association ofInsurance Commissioners, a group for state insurancecommissioners, in December 2016. He was also the chairmanof the NAIC's Financial Regulation Standards and AccreditationCommittee.

Related: NAIC elects its officers for 2017

Ted Nickel, the president of the NAIC, said in a statement thatMattax worked right up until the end of his battle with cancer. TheNAIC met in person in Denver from April 8 through April 11. Mattaxparticipated in the meeting from his home, via telephone, Nickelsaid.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who named Mattax to be his state'sinsurance commissioner, said in his own statement that Mattax was abrilliant lawyer who had taken great pride in mentoring younglawyers.

"David's brilliance, wit and wisdom will be dearly missed by allwho knew him," Abbott said.

Born in Oklahoma

Mattax was born in 1957 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, according toWeed-Corley-Fish. He earned a bachelor's degreein history and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from theUniversity of Texas at Austin. He also earned his law degree fromthe University of Texas.

He spent 23 years working in the Office of the Attorney Generalin Texas before moving to the Texas Department of Insurance.