MARBLEHEAD, Mass. (AP) — David Breashears, a mountaineer, author, and filmmaker who co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary about climbing Mount Everest, has passed away, as confirmed by his business manager on Saturday. He was 68.
Breashears was discovered unresponsive at his residence in Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Thursday, according to Ellen Golbranson. She mentioned that he died of natural causes, but the exact cause of death is still unknown at this time.
Breashears successfully summited Mount Everest five times, including with the IMAX camera in 1996, as stated by his family.
“He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world’s most admired adventure filmmakers,” the family expressed in a written statement.
In 2007, Breashears established GlacierWorks, a nonprofit organization that “highlights changes to Himalayan glaciers through art, science, and adventure,” as described on Facebook.
“With GlacierWorks, he used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range,” his family added.
In 1983, Breashears transmitted the first live television pictures from the summit of Everest. Additionally, in 1985, he became the first U.S. citizen to reach the summit twice, according to his website.
Breashears and his team were filming the Everest documentary when a blizzard struck the mountain on May 10, 1996, resulting in the death of eight climbers. He and his team halted filming to provide assistance to the climbers.
