Photo: Michael Sullivan/CSM/Shutterstock

Al Harrington hawaii

Hawaii Five-0actor Al Harrington has died, PEOPLE confirms. He was 85.

The Samoan-American actor died on Tuesday afternoonafter suffering a stroke last week, his family confirmed toThe Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

She continued, “He was generous, quick to forgive, a hard worker, a provider and always ready to talk-story. He loved his community and even more, his culture. It was his greatest honor to represent his people on-screen, and to serve them off-screen. To know him was to feel seen, loved, safe and welcomed. As an Icon for Hawai’i, our islands and her people are mourning his loss.”

After graduation, Harrington returned to Hawaii and taught at the University of Hawaii. He also worked as a professional entertainer in Waikiki.

In 1972, he debuted his role as Detective Ben Kokua on the CBS television seriesHawaii Five-0.Prior to joining the series full time, he had appeared in several episodes of earlier seasons as other characters since 1969.

cbs/getty

Al Harrington hawaii

He stayed on the show for three years after earning his recurring role and was one of the last living original cast members from the show.

In 2010, he joined theHawaii Five-0reboot and had a recurring role as Mamo Kahike.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Harrington also made appearances on numerous other television shows over the years, includingMagnum, P.I.;Scrubs;andThe Byrds of Paradise.

In 2018, he received the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award.

source: people.com