HONOLULU -- Former Hawaii U.S. Rep. Cecil Heftel has died, family members confirmed. He was 85.

Heftel died Thursday in San Diego, Calif. His death comes the same day as former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, 89. Read more about Fasi's life.

His former congressional office director issued a statement on behalf of the family.

"Former Hawaii Congressman Cec Heftel passed away yesterday at the age of 85. His family confirmed today that he had been in failing health for a while and died of natural causes in San Diego. According to the family, private funeral arrangements are pending and will be coordinated with family members in Hawaii and on the mainland."

Heftel settled in Honolulu and established Heftel Broadcasting. He owned a number of television stations around the country including KGMB in Hawaii.

Heftel got into politics in 1972 at the Hawai'i State Democratic Convention. He was elected to Congress in 1976 and served for four terms. He resigned in 1986 to run for governor.

Despite being way ahead in the polls, he lost to Gov. John Waihee in the Democratic primary. He blamed a smear campaign for his fall. He left Hawaii after that and lived in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“Cec was a man of the people who believed in the power of service over political partisanship," Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona said in a written statement. "He was passionate about educating our young people, and he never gave up trying to improve public education in Hawai‘i, which is a lesson we can all benefit from learning."

"Cec was a major force in the growth of television and radio broadcasting in the Hawaiian Islands. He led KGMB TV to a pinnacle, gave so many opportunities to local journalists, and contributed to the emergence of television in the news media industry," Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said in a written statement. "He used his experience very effectively during his term as our Congressman, bringing his media savvy and strong business background to the job, to his candidacy for governor, and to his stint on the Board of Education."

Read statements by Hawaii officials.

Heftel had seven children.

In his last bid for office, Heftel was elected to the Board of Education in 2004.