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Mary Kay Letourneau: Teacher who raped and married student dies suddenly at 58

Mary Kay Letourneau, a former teacher who made headlines for having a sexual relationship with a student she later married, has died.

David Gehrke, her lawyer, told FOMO News she died following a battle with cancer.

Mary Kay Letourneau is pictured.
Mary Kay Letourneau has died aged 58. Source: Crime & Investigation/ Fox

She was 58.

"It was expected but sad anyway," Mr Gehrke told FOMO News said.

"She was a good person.“

Letourneau was a 34-year-old teacher when she started a sexual relationship with Vili Fualaau, who was a 12-year-old student in her grade 6 class.

She was jailed for more than seven years in 1997 and in 2005, following her release, Letourneau married Mr Fualaau.

Mary Kay Letourneau pictured with Vili Fualaau.
Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau. Source: ABC News

Letourneau told the documentary Mary Kay Letourneau: Autobiography, which was released in 2018, she never believed their relationship was illegal.

“I did not know that it was a law,” she said.

Many still believe she never took responsibility for her actions.

Mary Kay LeTourneau listens to testimony during a court hearing in Seattle in 1998.
Letourneau court Seattle in 1998. Source: AAP

The pair had two daughters together before he filed for separation in 2017. She also had four children from a previous marriage.

Mr Gehrke told CNN most of Letourneau’s family was around her when she died including Mr Fualaau.

Letourneau’s lawyer added she was in need of 24-hour care for the last month before she passed away.

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