Colleagues of the late U.S. Rep. K. Mark Takai remembered the Hawaii congressman on stage at the Democratic National Convention today.

Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus were given time to speak at the convention this morning.

The chairwoman of the caucus, U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D, Calif.), paid tribute to Takai during her remarks.

“We are also grieving for Mark Takai, from Hawaii, who passed away last week at the age of 49 after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer,” Chu said.

“Mark truly had the aloha spirit and was deeply committed to advancing the priorities of the people of Hawaii and our veterans.

“I will never forget the tears in his eyes when he learned about the cancer moonshot initiative. It gave him and millions of Americans hope that they will finally find a cure for cancer. We have to keep hoping and fighting.”