Jack Charles, one of Australia’s most celebrated actors, has died.

Charles, who was 79, died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Tuesday morning after suffering a stroke.

He was surrounded by family and friends.

Charles’ family, which has given permission for his name and image to be used, said in a statement that “he will live on in our hearts and memories through his numerous screen and stage roles”.

“Before he passed away, his family were able to send him off on Country during a smoking ceremony at the Royal Melbourne Hospital,” the statement said.

“We are so proud of everything he has achieved in his remarkable life – elder, actor, musician, potter, activist, mentor, a household name and voice loved by all – as is demonstrated by his numerous awards, including this year’s NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year.

“He will live on in our hearts and memories and through his numerous screen and stage roles.

“May he be greeted by his ancestors on his return home.”

Tweet from @AlboMP

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also paid tribute to Charles.

“His film career will be familiar to so many Australians. [It] began in 1979 with The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, which I studied for my HSC and many Australians are familiar with,” he said.

“[He was] the first Australian Indigenous elder to speak at the justice commission and appeared on ABC’s Q&A with me. He endured cruelty, he endured pain, but he uplifted our nation with his heart and his genius, creativity and passion. And I pay tribute to him today.”

Charles had a storied acting and musical career spanning several decades. He worked with the late Archie Roach to support Indigenous prisoners, and used his platforms to share painful and personal truths about the brutal impact of government policies on his community.

Tweet from @LarissaBehrendt

Earlier this year, he spoke at Victoria’s truth-telling Yoorrook Justice Commission about being a member of the Stolen Generations, taken from his mother as a four-month-old.

“I wasn’t even told I was Aboriginal – I had to discover that for myself,” he told the inquiry.

Last year, Charles appeared in SBS’s Who Do You Think You Are?, discovering the identity of his father and his family’s ties to more Aboriginal nations across Victoria and Tasmania. His other works included touring his one-man show Jack Charles v The Crown, which was based on his life, ABC’s Cleverman and Preppers.

In 2017, a portrait of Charles by Ahn Do won the Archibald Prize People’s Choice.

-with AAP