We knocked that bastard off." That is what Sir Edmund Hillary said after he scaled Mount Everest in May 1953. And that probably sums up the man and his spirit.
The 88-year-old New Zealander, who conquered Everest along with Tenzing Norgay, is dead.
Though the exact reason of his death was not known, media reports say he had been suffering from pneumonia.
Announcing the death on Friday, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said: "Edmund described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was a heroic figure who not only knocked off Everest, but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity."
Clark described him as "a quintessential Kiwi", reports said.
Image: Tashi Tenzing, left, Tenzing Norgay's son, embraces Sir Edmund at the launch of Judy and Tashi Tenzing's book Tenzing and the Sherpas of Everest in Sydney August 15, 2001. Photograph: Tosten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images
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