State Rep. Clift Tsuji, a former disc jockey, banker and Big Island state lawmaker known for his warm personality and his deep, booming radio voice, died suddenly Tuesday at the Queen’s Medical Center after suffering a heart attack. He was 75.

Tsuji was first elected to the state House in 2004 and represented the Hilo neighborhoods of Keaukaha, Panaewa and Waiakea. He served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in the years when controversy was building over genetically modified crops in Hawaii.

GMO opponents lobbied hard for laws requiring labeling of GMO food or limits or bans on those crops, but Tsuji resisted those efforts. That stance sometimes made him the focus of controversy and a target for frustrated activists.

Tsuji’s longtime friend and colleague Jerry Chang said Tsuji “really took a lot of hits from the anti-GMO people, but he believed in what he believed in and he went all the way for it.” In a time when the politics surrounding agricultural issues was becoming increasingly passionate, Tsuji would not get angry at his critics, Chang said.

“He just took it in stride, and that was part of the guy he was. He just took it and stood his ground,” said Chang, who is also a former state House member. “That was the kind of person he was.”

Gov. David Ige said in a written statement that Tsuji “was a quiet man with a big heart who had the courage to stand for his convictions,” adding, “He was a passionate leader and a vigorous advocate for the Hilo community. His legacy of service will be remembered by his constituents and all Hawaii island residents.”

“He was a personal friend, and I am going to miss his presence at the state Capitol,” Ige said.

Senate President Ron Kouchi also offered his condolences to the Tsuji family on behalf of the state Senate. Tsuji will be remembered “for his hard work supporting Hawaii’s agriculture, his commitment to the residents of his district, and his warm and ready smile,” Kouchi said in a written statement.

Tsuji was born Jan. 20, 1941, and raised in the East Hawaii plantation town of Papaikou. He graduated from Hilo High School in 1959 and became a rock ’n’ roll-era deejay in Hilo while he was still a teenager, Chang said.

Tsuji’s son Ryan said his father’s radio show was called “Sam and I,” and Chang said the contrast between Clift Tsuji’s distinctive, bass radio voice and his 5-foot-3-inch frame could be startling.

“When you don’t know him and you hear him on the radio, you think he’s a big guy, but when you see him you think, wow, that big voice is coming out of that small body,” Chang said.

Tsuji later capitalized on that unusual voice in politics by greeting friends and acquaintances at the state Capitol with a drawn-out, deep-voiced “Alooooha,” a habit some of his friends would affectionately mimic.

Tsuji attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo, UH Manoa and the University of Washington, Pacific Coast Banking School. He also served in the Army Reserve in the 442nd Infantry Regiment in Hilo from 1959 to 1965.

He went on to work at Central Pacific Bank for 24 years, eventually becoming branch manager and senior vice president, before he took a position as vice president of Hilo Candy Co.

Ryan Tsuji said his father had a long-standing interest in politics, and some of Ryan’s earliest memories are of standing on roadways waving political signs for former Hawaii island Mayor Stephen Yamashiro.

“I think he’s always had that passion for public service,” Ryan Tsuji said, and he saw an opportunity to run for office himself when a seat in Hilo opened up.

“It’s always been in him, and I think once he finally was able to get involved in politics and run for office and actually get elected, I think that is what really gave him the most joy,” he said. “It really filled his tank.”

Tsuji said his father suffered a heart attack on ­Hawaii island Saturday and was flown to Honolulu for treatment.

As he was being wheeled into an operating room, he told his son he needed to reschedule a meeting with the governor set for later this week, and also discussed details of a Hilo project he wanted to complete.

“It was just always on his mind, and up until his last moments he was still thinking about the people of his community,” Tsuji said.

The Democratic Party has 30 days from today to nominate three possible candidates to replace Clift Tsuji in the state House, and Ige will appoint one person from that list within 60 days from now to serve out Tsuji’s two-year House term.

Tsuji was active with the Hilo Medical Center Foundation, Hawaii Island Japanese Community Association, Pacific Tsunami Museum, Hiroshima Kenjin Kai, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce and Kumamoto Kenjin Kai, according to a statement from the state House of Representatives.

Chang, who is now director of university relations at UH Hilo, said his staff was in tears Tuesday after hearing Tsuji had died. “One thing they said was whenever he came in our office, he just lighted it up because he was always so friendly and came with a big smile,” Chang said.

Aside from son Ryan, Tsuji is also survived by son Ashley, and brother Patrick and sister-in-law ­Doris of Mililani. Services are pending.