Brown died of diffuse thermal energy and smoke inhalation, PEOPLE can confirm

Bobby J. Brown in ‘We Own This City’.Credit : Paul Schiraldi/HBO via Everett

Bobby J. Brown has died at the age of 62.

The actor died on Tuesday, Feb 24, after being caught in a barn fire, PEOPLE can confirm. A representative for the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner further revealed that Brown’s cause of death was ruled as diffuse thermal injury and smoke inhalation, and the manner of death was determined to be an accident.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Brown’s daughter Reina calls the death of her father “a huge loss” as she recalls waking up to a phone call at around 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 24.

“I was sound asleep. I had gone to bed about two hours before,” she reveals. “My little sister [was] freaking out, saying that Dad’s gone and that he got caught up in a barn fire, and I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ “

“I literally went outside and put both my feet on my front walk,” she says. “It’s cold, and I stood out in my bare feet in a nightgown because I wanted to make sure I was really awake. I did that to make sure I was in actual reality and not dreaming this up, and then I did it for a grounding exercise. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, this isn’t real. And I still don’t even feel like it’s real.”

Reina explains that when the fire broke out, Brown called for a family member to bring him a fire extinguisher as the flames spread. “Everybody is still trying to process it,” she says. “It’s been difficult for all of us.”

Bobby J. Brown in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.NBC

Reina credits her and Brown’s shared faith for helping her stay strong: “I’m his oldest, and I’m also one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and I will say, it’s my faith that’s keeping me sane right now.”

“My dad was an amazing human being,” she shares. “He was super awesome. He was a pillar in the community, and he’s going to be missed by a lot of people.”

Brown’s agent, Albert Bramante, mourned the loss of the star, telling PEOPLE, “Bobby J. Brown was an actor of immense talent and even greater integrity. He approached his work with a discipline and a passion that were truly inspiring to witness.”

“While his career included many notable performances, it was his unwavering dedication to the craft of acting that defined him as an artist,” Bramante added. “We are deeply saddened by this loss and ask for privacy for his family and loved ones during this time.”

Brown was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where he built a successful career as a boxer, winning five Golden Glove Championships, according to his IMDB.

After signing with boxing trainer Carmen Graziano and moving to New Jersey to be a professional boxer, Brown decided to pursue acting. He went on to move to New York to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Bobby J. Brown and Wendell Pierce on ‘The Wire’.Alamy

Once he graduated, Brown landed several roles, including in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Homicide: Life on the Street, as well as HBO’s The Wire, The Corner and We Own This City.

Brown also directed two documentaries: Off the Chain, about the abuse of American pit bull terriers, and Tear the Roof Off: The Untold Story of Parliament Funkadelic. 

Brown donated a third of the profits from Off the Chain to the protection of the breed through the Humane Society of the United States, per his IMDb.