(Reuters) - St. Jude Medical Inc said its longest-serving board member Thomas Garrett died of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.

Garrett, who joined the company in 1979, was an independent director on the board for 34 years.

Garrett advised St. Jude through a number of leadership transitions and legal matters, the company said in a statement.

The company did not say when he died.

The medical device maker faced a setback last week when its heart defibrillators were called for surveillance studies by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after reports of defects.

Shares of the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based company were down about 1 percent to $37.48 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting By Pallavi Ail in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)