Frank Powers, the most likely Republican candidate set to run for the seat of Rep. Vito J. Fossella , died of a heart attack Sunday morning at the age of 67.

His death leaves in question the future of the only Republican-held New York City House seat.

State news media quoted sources saying Powers apparently died in his sleep and was discovered in bed by his wife, Dianne, about 10 a.m.

“As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family,” his son, Brian Powers, said Sunday afternoon.

Powers was tapped to run for the Staten Island seat just a few weeks ago, after Fossella reluctantly decided not to run. In early May, Fossella was arrested on a drunken driving charge and ended up admitting he has a 3-year-old daughter from an extramarital relationship.

The local GOP struggled to find a candidate and sought out several prominent Republicans, including Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan. But everyone who was approached declined. Finally, in early June, local GOP officials endorsed Powers, a retired Wall Street executive. This was to be his first campaign.

Powers had been involved in GOP circles and was a former finance director for Fossella’s House campaign committee. He also served on the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, which runs New York City’s mass transit.

The likely Democratic candidate, New York City Councilman Michael McMahon, called Powers’ death “a loss for Staten Island . . . Powers was an asset to his community. He did a lot of charity work. He was someone we consider a friend.

“What it means for the race for Congress in Staten Island and Brooklyn is something we aren’t even thinking about today,” he said.

Regarding the future of the nomination, The New York Daily News quoted Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton as saying, “I think we need to [go] back to the well and revisit everybody we considered,” adding, “Some time has gone by since all those people said they weren’t interested.”

CQ Politics rates the November race as No Clear Favorite, the most competitive category.