Palm Beach Circuit Judge Meenu Sasser, the county’s first Asian-American judge, died at 48 on Saturday morning.

Sasser was undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer, but her death was unexpected, according to her husband, distinguished divorce attorney Thomas J. Sasser. He said Sasser was admitted to hospital on Wednesday with low blood pressure, appeared “vibrant” and “feisty” until she suffered respiratory distress on Friday.