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Photo by Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
David Breashears, whose mountaineering led him to climb Mount Everest five times, died at his home in Massachusetts on Thursday. He was 68 years old and the cause has not been determined.
Breashears co-directed and co-produced a 1998 IMAX documentary for Universal, Everest, about climbing the legendary mountain. Images of that summit expedition made him a celebrity in the outdoor world.
“He combined his passion for climbing and photography to become one of the world’s most admired adventure filmmakers,” his family said in a written statement.
In 2007, Breashears founded GlacierWorks, which describes itself on Facebook as a nonprofit that “highlights changes in Himalayan glaciers through art, science and adventure.”
“With GlacierWorks, he used his experience in climbing and photography to create unique records that reveal the dramatic effects of climate change on the historic mountain range,” his family said.
In 1983, Breashears broadcast the first live television images from the summit of Everest, according to his website. In 1998, he became the first American citizen to reach the summit twice.
Breashears and his crew were filming the Everest documentary in 1986 when a blizzard hit that killed eight climbers. He and his crew stopped filming to help the climbers.
No details were immediately available about survivors or memorial plans.