NEW YORK - A beloved NYPD detective who was left paralyzed from the neck down following an infamous 1986 shooting in Central Park died Tuesday.

Steven McDonald suffered a heart attack last Friday on Long Island and never regained consciousness. 

The NYPD says he died surrounded by family at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset after being taken off life support on Tuesday morning. He was 59 years old.

The department honored him with a procession outside the hospital. NYPD officers gathered as McDonald's body was taken away in an police ambulance.

"He's a terrific guy, a tremendous person," said Chief James Secreto of NYPD Housing. "They don't come like him. They just don't come like him, any better a person than him."

McDonald's faith and perseverance, his upbeat outlook despite his paralysis and his decision to forgive his shooter made him an inspiration to many.

McDonald was on an undercover patrol in Central Park one afternoon in 1986 when he stopped a group of teens who he though had a gun. Shavod Jones, 15, pulled out a handgun and shot him.

"Shot me in the head and then shot me in the throat, and I as I laid on the ground, he stepped over me and fired a third shot into me," McDonald recalled in an interview with NY1’s Dean Meminger last month.

McDonald later forgave Jones, who died in a motorcycle crash a four days after he was paroled from prison in 1995. Jones served 8 1/2 years of a sentence issued under guidelines for juvenile offenders.

Doctors initially estimated McDonald would live for only five years after the shooting, but with the help of a ventilator, he beat their prognosis, and remained on the NYPD, receiving a promotion to detective.

He spent several days a week telling his story to other officers and community members, using it to spread a message of peace, and for police and the communities they patrol to better understand each other. He also was an advocate of suicide prevention, having once contemplated taking his own life.

In a meeting with officers in the 33rd Precinct in Washington Heights last month, McDonald encouraged them to use professional tactics to protect themselves and the community.

"I want them all to be safe," McDonald said afterward. "I don't want anybody to be hurt like I was hurt. As far as the community, I have always seen the best in them. We work very well together."

McDonald’s son Conor is a sergeant in the NYPD, following in his father’s footsteps. Both father and son credited Steven McDonald’s forgiveness of the teen that shot him with prolonging his life.

"If he did not let love in and forgive Shavod Jones, I don't think my dad would be here," Conor McDonald told NY1 last month. "I think that hate would have eaten him alive and he would be six feet under right now, and I would not have the relationship that I have."

"He transcended the hatred and was able to publicly forgive his assailant. That takes a special human being," said Michael Palladino, president of the Detectives' Endowment Association.

In a statement, Mayor de Blasio said McDonald "for 30 years has been this city's greatest example of heroism and grace."

"The story of Detective Steven McDonald needs to be understood across the United States, especially as we work to heal the wounds of the past. There is no greater example of honor and service to others. Let it be our mission to continue his work," de Blasio's statement reads, in part.

The Mayor's Office says flags have been lowered to half-staff by order of the mayor as a sign of respect for McDonald.

Tributes to McDonald from prominent members of the law enforcement community poured in Tuesday afternoon after his death was announced.

In a statement, PBA President Pat Lynch said, "Steven McDonald was the most courageous and forgiving man I have ever known.  Despite the tremendous pain in his life, both physical and emotional, his concern for his fellow police officers and for the people of New York City never wavered.  Since that fateful day in 1986, Steven dedicated his life to fighting hate and encouraging forgiveness through his actions.  He was a powerful force for all that is good and is an inspiration to all of us.  His, was a life well lived.  We join his family, a true New York City police family, his friends and fellow officers in prayer and mourning the loss of a truly special man.  He was a true American hero."

McDonald was a big Rangers fan. The team named an award after him and presented it every year to a player who "goes above and beyond the normal call of duty."

The team posted a video tribute to McDonald Tuesday afternoon on Twitter.

McDonald's survivors include his son and his wife, Patricia Ann Norris-McDonald, who was his caregiver.

According to the NYPD's ceremonial unit, a viewing for McDonald will be held Wednesday and Thursday, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on both days, at St. Agnes Parish Center in Rockville Centre on Long Island.

His funeral will be held Friday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.