WEST ORANGE -- An 18-foot-tall giraffe living at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo has died, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Hodari, an 18-foot-tall, 11-year-old Masai giraffe, died from complications from a dental procedure at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo announced in a release.

In a statement, Turtle Back veterinarian Dr. Jon Bergmann said he noticed something wrong with the teeth in the back of the giraffe's mouth about three weeks ago. At that time, Bergmann said he put the animal under anesthesia so he and a dental specialist could examine the issue. Hodari woke up and did not experience any side effects from the anesthesia, Bergmann said.

"We observed that Hodari was having difficulty eating and decided performing (a) procedure would prevent further complications from occurring in the future," Bergmann said in the release.

Wednesday, Hodari was again placed under anesthesia to undergo the procedure, but experienced complications, officials said.

"We believed this would give Hodari a better quality of life, improve his overall health and allow him to continue to thrive at Turtle Back Zoo. We knew there were risks when putting an animal of Hodari's size under anesthesia, but we also knew repairing his teeth would be more beneficial for him," Bergmann said.

The giraffe's official cause of death will be determined by a necropsy, which officials said would take about a month to complete.

Hodari was one of four giraffes that moved into the West Orange zoo in December 2015, to great fanfare. He came to the $7 million African Adventure exhibit from South Carolina.

County officials called the animal "beloved" by zoo visitors and staff.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hodari. On behalf of Turtle Back's staff, we cannot express how great this loss is," DiVincenzo said.

"The Giraffe Exhibit quickly became Turtle Back Zoo's most popular attraction, and it was because of Hodari."

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.