HOUSTON -- Deano the sea lion passed away at the zoo after a long and exciting life.

The California sea lion passed away Thursday morning at his pool in the Houston Zoo's McGovern Mammal Marina.

Deano was 26 years old. According to Houston Zoo Sea Lion Curator Beth Schaefer, the normal life expectancy of California sea lions ranges between 15 and 25 years.

Born June 19, 1983, Deano arrived at the Houston Zoo in May 2008 from a marine park in Hawaii. As a young sea lion, Deano was a star performer at several Sea World marine parks.

Schaefer said, "Deano was such a charmer. We are missing him so much right now. He was very special to us and to Zoo guests.”

In February, Deano successfully underwent surgery to remove cataracts from both eyes. In March, Deano returned to the sea lion pool after getting a clean bill of health from his veterinary ophthalmologist.

"He made a complete recovery from the procedure and was back to being the Deano we all knew and loved so much," said Schaefer.

A necropsy, an animal autopsy, has been performed. Results of the procedure may not be known for several weeks.