Top Massachusetts Democrats are paying tribute to Maryland Representative Elijah E. Cummings, a fellow Democrat who died early Thursday and who chaired a key House committee that investigated President Trump.

“Rep. Elijah Cummings was a giant in the House, an unwavering champion for his district and all Americans, and a dear friend,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Cambridge Democrat seeking her party’s 2020 presidential nomination, via Twitter. “My heart goes out to his wife Maya and his family.”

Warren continued, “Good people everywhere will miss his rumbling voice, his kind heart, and his deep conviction that every human being has worth. Rest in power, Elijah.”

Her words were echoed by former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who considered vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nod before deciding against it in December.

“Congressman Elijah Cummings was a shining example of integrity, duty and kindness in Congress,” Patrick tweeted. “Diane and I send condolences to Maya, all his family and his constituents. Your loss — and our own — is profound.”

Representative Katherine Clark, a Melrose Democrat, also praised Cummings, who was 68, on Thursday.

“Congressman Elijah Cummings was grace & generosity personified,” Clark tweeted. “Every day, in ways often unseen, he worked to lift up every voice. His love for the people of Baltimore & the entire country will live on through his work and the community he helped to build.”

Clark continued, “May @RepCummings’s incredible legacy bring comfort to his family, friends, and dedicated staff.”

Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, a Newton Democrat locked in a closely watched Senate primary battle with incumbent Ed Markey, tweeted that Cummings “refused to be told what he could become or where his dreams might end. He refused to accept injustice in his community or inequality in his country. His towering presence will be missed but his legacy will live on with us all.”

Markey, the longtime Democratic lawmaker from Malden, tweeted, “No one understood the power and the responsibility of Congress to uncover the truth and deliver justice for the American people like Elijah. At this moment in our history, with our very democracy at stake, his integrity, his passion, and his leadership will be deeply missed.”

Markey wrote that he “served alongside Congressman Cummings for more than three decades. Elijah’s entire career — one born of fearlessness and fueled by a quest for equality — is a testament to how one man speaking truth to power can hold even the most powerful forces accountable.”

As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cummings led multiple investigations of the president’s governmental dealings, including probes in 2019 relating to the president’s family members serving in the White House.

Representative Ayanna Pressley, a Boston Democrat, tweeted Thursday that Cummings “always reminded us that it was our duty, as members of Congress & as patriots, to remain in effective & efficient pursuit of the truth. Those words deeply resonated w/ me then & guide me today. Rest in Power Chairman, it has been an honor to serve alongside you.”