RALEIGH, (AP) - The chief lawyer in the office of Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton has died suddenly.  Cynthia O'Neal, 37, died Wednesday at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.

Details on the cause of O'Neal's death are not known, but it was unexpected. An autopsy will be performed.
 
Dalton said in a statement he and his staff are mourning the loss of a friend and colleague. He called O'Neal "a brilliant lawyer and an amazing person."

O'Neill previously served in private law practices and once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sarah Parker.