Sir Edmund Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest on May 29, 1953 with Nepali Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay of Nepal, passed away on Friday. Quoting Associated Press, the media reported that Hillary passed away from heart attack at Auckland Hospital at 9 am Friday in the age of 88.
The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called Ed and considering himself an 'ordinary person with ordinary qualities' the report said.
Hillary's life was marked by grand achievements, high adventure, discovery, excitement — yet he was humble to the point that he only admitted being the first man atop Everest long after the death of climbing companion Tenzing Norgay. He had pride in his feat, yet he irreverently referred to it as he returned to base camp as the man who took the first step onto the top of the world's highest peak: "We knocked the bastard off" the report added.
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