Former Orange mayor and Councilmember Mark A. Murphy died at his home in Orange on Friday evening, Dec. 13, city officials said.

Murphy had served the city and Orange County for decades.

He was elected to the Orange City Council in 1993 and became mayor in 2000. He began serving on the Orange County Transportation Authority board in 2017, representing the Third District. He was selected as OCTA chairman in 2022.

Murphy earned several awards during his tenure, including Orange County’s “Local Elected Official of the Year” in 1998 and Orange’s “Citizen of the Year” in 2010.

A lifelong resident of Orange, Murphy was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital and graduated from Orange High School. He attended college at Santa Ana College before completing his bachelor’s degree and a Master of Business Administration at the University of Southern California.

“He was active in the community, whether he was in office or not,” Jimmy Dunn, a longtime friend and colleague, said Saturday. “He was always at everything, down at the Orange circle for any of the celebrations or car shows – he was just the kind of guy that was always everywhere.”

Murphy experienced a medical emergency on Friday night, city officials said in their announcement of his death on Facebook.

The cause of death was not immediately available.

Murphy is survived by his wife Vikki and mother Lois.

This is a developing story, and more information will be added.

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