The mother-in-law of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich died yesterday.

Margaret Mell was the wife of Chicago Alderman Richard Mell.

She was 62.

Mayor Richard Daley recognized Mell today at a press conference on another topic.

“I extend my condolences on behalf of the Daley family and of course the people of the City of Chicago to the Mell family,” Daley says.

The governor’s wife, Patti, is Mell’s daughter.

Margaret Mell suffered from a debilitating brain disease similar to Parkinson’s.

She and her husband sought help for her condition through stem cell research and treatment.

Blagojevich promoted the cause of stem cell research in his first term.