NEW ORLEANS - World-renowned cardiac surgeon Dr. John Lockwood Ochsner, whose father co-founded the Ochsner Health System, has died.

According to a release from the healthcare system, Ochsner dedicated nearly six decades to the advancement of medical quality in New Orleans. He also served prominently in numerous community and civic organizations.

The release goes on say Ochsner helped set the tone for the modern-day Group Practice launched by his father, Dr. Alton Ochsner. Some of his most notable achievements include performing the first heart transplant in the Gulf South region in 1970, and, just four years later, implanting a heart pacemaker in the youngest patient ever.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. John L. Ochsner, Sr., For more than 57 years, Dr. Ochsner has been a consistent, larger-than-life presence across our hospitals and with our staff and patients," statements reads. " His sphere of influence spanned across New Orleans, generations of Ochsner physicians and colleagues and the international medical community."