AUSTIN (KXAN) — Todd Myers, a 32-year veteran of the Austin Police Department, died Thursday after a battle with ALS.

After Myers retired from APD, he took a job with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office as an investigator, but he was also a very talented musician, playing in several bands in the area.

APD Chief Brian Manley posted a heartfelt tribute to Myers on Twitter, calling him an “inspiration and role model.”

APD Assistant Chief Rich Guajardo also made an emotional post on social media about Myers.

On the APD website’s blog, in a post dated 2016 and titled “Thanks for saving my life” someone thanked Myers for doing his part on the drug task force and helping the person who posted the message get through a tough time.

“I moved to the Bel Air motel on South Congress, and that’s where I met drug task force officer Todd Myers. And from the day I met him, he did everything he could to try to keep me from going down a road that so many never come back from,” the post reads.

KXAN anchor Sally Hernandez got to know Myers over the years, and they became friends. Hernandez said she met Myers when he was playing in a band called “Undercover” which featured police officers as the band members.

“He was just a wonderful man,” Hernandez said. “He will be dearly missed.”

Hernandez posted this tribute to Myers on Twitter:

ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is an acronym for amyotropic lateral sclerosis, and it’s a disease that attacks the nervous system and causes loss of muscle control.

A GoFundMe account for Myers was set up in 2019, and it has surpassed its goal of $50,000.