NZsnowboard.com

11th January 2008

Sir Edmund Hillary's family have confirmed he will have a state funeral after the man who conquered Mount Everest died of a sudden heart attack this morning.

Hillary was in good spirits until he died this morning, Lady June Hillary says in a message to the nation.

He had been in good form and was looking forward to coming home and had remained in good spirits till the end, she said.

The family spokesman, Mark Sainsbury, said the family was comforted by messages of support from around the country and around the world.

Hillary's family have accepted the Government's offer of a state funeral, a family spokesman said. Details of when and where are to be announced.

Documentary maker and cartoonist Tom Scott, a longtime friend, arrived at the Hillary home following the news.

Scott said he had been working with Sir Edmund on a documentary about the mountaineer's work in Nepal and the footage would be shown on the night of the funeral.

The New Zealand flag will be flown at half-mast on all Government and public buildings from today until midnight Saturday to mark Sir Edmund's death.

Flags will also be flown at half-mast on the day of his funeral.

Hillary was due to have left hospital today, a family member revealed this afternoon.

Hillary was in Auckland hospital when he died at 9am today.

The Sherpa community in Nepal has also been on contact with the family to advise that a memorial service will be held in the Himalayas as well.

"Sir Ed had been unwell for sometime and died due to a heart attack,'' Auckland District Health Board said said in a statement.

Speaking at the family home in Auckland, Lady June Hillary's daughter said Ed had taken a turn for the worse last night.

She said Lady Hillary was now at home with the family gathering around her.

The family was still coming to terms with his death, she said.

At Scott Base in Antarctica there is a "very subdued'' atmosphere on the base Hillary started 51 years ago, Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Lou Sanson said today.

Sanson said it was a sad day for New Zealand and everyone at Scott Base was affected.

Hillary went to Antarctica last year for the 50th anniversary of Scott Base.

At the time, Prime Minister Helen Clark invited him to go back to the ice this summer to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hillary's arrival at the South Pole.

But Sanson today said that about six months ago Hillary, who conquered Mount Everest in 1953, had telephoned him to say he wouldn't make it.

"He said he just couldn't do it. He just didn't feel he had the energy to do it.''

It was just "so sad'' that his death had come barely days after the 50th anniversary of him reaching the South Pole.

Sir Edmund had famously beat Sir Vivian "Bunny'' Fuchs to the South Pole, after leading the support team that was laying fuel and food for Fuchs' overland crossing of Antarctica.

Sanson said he saw Sir Edmund shortly before Christmas "and I could see that he had certainly aged'' since the trip last year.

"We're just going to sorely miss a guy who was just a pillar of New Zealand's national identify in Antarctica.

"It's a sad day for New Zealand and it was just such a privilege to be able to share that 50th anniversary with him and I know what it meant to him to be there for that.''

A special memory was that after the prime minister's contingent had left Scott Base last January, Sir Edmund stayed on a few days. An Air Force Orion had arrived and Sir Edmund, who had been in number five squadron in the Air Force, spent his last night in the bar sharing stories with the pilots until his doctor told him it was bedtime.

"Sanson said a memorial to Sir Edmund would be made at the A-frame hut, which Sir Edmund had so enjoyed staying in on his last two visits to the ice. - NZPA

Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary is a profound loss to New Zealand.

"My thoughts are with Lady Hillary, Sir Edmund's children, wider family, and close friends at this sad time," she said in a statement said.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only ?knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi. He was ours - from his craggy appearance and laconic style to his directness and honesty.  All New Zealanders will deeply mourn his passing.

"Sir Ed's 1953 ascent of Mt Everest brought him world-wide fame. Thereafter he set out to support development for the Sherpa people of the Himalayas. His lifetime's humanitarian work there is of huge significance and lasting benefit.

"Sir Ed was not one to bask idly in celebrity. He drew on his international prestige to highlight issues and values which he held dear. His enduring commitment to and respect for the Sherpa people reflects the best of what we as New Zealanders can contribute, from our small developed nation helping another less privileged one.

"Sir Edmund established the Himalayan Trust in the early 1960s and worked tirelessly until his death to raise funds and build schools and hospitals in the mountains.

"The legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary will live on. His exploits continue to inspire new generations of New Zealanders, as they have for more than half a century already," Helen Clark said.

Fairfax Media and NZPA