Doug Scott, an internationally recognized mountaineer who became the first British man to climb Mount Everest and who eventually went on to found a UK-based charity called Community Action Nepal has died at the age of 79, CNN reports.

After Scott and his mountaineering team became the first UK team to summit Mount Everest via the south-west face in 1979, he spent many years focused on assisting people in the Himalayas through his charity.

According to reports from British media, Scott had been diagnosed with cancer. Community Action Nepal confirmed that he passed away on the morning of Dec. 7.

"With a heavy heart we inform you that our Founder and great friend, Doug Scott, passed away peacefully this morning, at his home with his family around him," it wrote.

With a heavy heart we inform you that our Founder and great friend, Doug Scott, passed away peacefully this morning, at his home with his family around him. We ask for privacy at this time, but will be making a full and proper announcement in the coming days. Thank you all ?????????? pic.twitter.com/ZrGT09kUvE

— Community Action Nepal (@CommActionNepal) December 7, 2020

CNN notes that Scott was widely known for his physical and mental stamina, which allowed him to eventually reach thehighest peaks on all seven continents, often doing so without the aid of artificial oxygen.

His adventures took him to some of the globe's most beautiful and remote locations, but time and again Scott found himself being drawn to a country that made a lasting impression on his heart, Nepal. 

In 2019, he wrote about his deep feelings for the culture in a column that appeared in the Nepali Times, saying, "I have been lured to Nepal many times, as much by the Himalayan landscape as to be with the mountain people. It is the people more than the mountains who bring visitors back to Nepal."

The British Embassy in Nepal tweeted a tribute to Scott for serving as a source of inspiration and for using his platform to help others. 

"We remember Doug Scott CBE not only for his mountaineering feats but as a true friend of Nepal whose support helped build health posts in rural villages," read a message on Twitter.

We remember Doug Scott CBE not only for his mountaineering feats but as a true friend of #Nepal whose support helped build health posts in rural villages. His feats also remind us of the importance of protecting our mountains???from #ClimateChange. https://t.co/4SzYwJ0EpK

— UK in Nepal ???????? (@UKinNepal) December 8, 2020