Justin Hardy obit

Justin Hardy Dead at 61: 'The Wicker Man' Filmmaker Dies Just Weeks Before 'Wrath of the Gods' Premiere

Justin Hardy, son of Robin Hardy, completes 'The Wicker Man' trilogy with 'Wrath of the Gods' before his untimely death.

 

He was not on the list.

Justin Hardy, the British filmmaker who completed Wrath of the Gods, the long-planned final chapter in The Wicker Man trilogy, has died aged 61 after a heart attack on Friday night, just weeks before the film's London premiere.

Hardy had recently finished work on Wrath of the Gods, billed as the concluding chapter of the Wicker Man trilogy that began with his father Robin Hardy's 1973 film and continued with The Wicker Tree in 2011. The new film is due to premiere at genre festival FrightFest in Leicester Square on 28 August.

In a statement, Hardy's family said they were 'devastated' by his sudden death and 'heartbroken' that he would not live to see the film open.

They described him as 'so full of life right to the end' and 'incredibly energised to be working towards premiering his latest film this month', calling him 'a man of family, of boundless creativity, and of devotion for everyone he held dear'.

He is survived by his wife Larissa and their four children, Sam, Ludo, Nico and Summer.

How Justin Hardy Reforged a Folk-Horror Landmark

The news follows a late-career burst of activity that saw Hardy step further into the legacy of his father's most famous work. In 2024 he and his brother Dominic released the documentary Children of the Wicker Man, examining both the enduring popularity of the original film and the toll its making took on their family.

The 1973 The Wicker Man, starring Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee, follows a police sergeant sent to a remote Scottish island to investigate a missing girl, only to uncover a pagan community with its own rituals. It flopped on release but later acquired a cult following and is now regarded as one of Britain's defining horror films.

After Robin Hardy died in 2016 aged 86, his wish to complete a trilogy around the Wicker Man myth did not vanish with him. His sons were later approached about the dormant third film, which Dominic said became the 'impetus to close the chapter on the films'.

Wrath of the Gods grew out of material found in a script Robin Hardy had written years earlier. It stars Game of Thrones actor Francis Magee and Norwegian performer Christiane Schaerdemose, and was, according to Dominic, 'a great satisfaction' to Justin, who felt he had made something genuinely new rather than trading on nostalgia.

From The Bill to Wrath of the Gods

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Hardy was a history graduate from Oxford University. He studied film in Bournemouth and scriptwriting in California before building a career in television and factual drama.

He directed episodes of The Bill and London's Burning, and developed a strong niche in historical reconstructions and documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and CNN, including Princes in the Tower, Trafalgar Battle Surgeon, The Relief of Belsen and Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen.

His work earned him nominations for both a Bafta and an Emmy.

Dominic said his brother had 'really became a filmmaker in his own right,' adding: 'We've lost him and we've lost that larger-than-life presence looking over us all.'

In recent years Hardy had also taught screenwriting at University College London, passing on his craft to a new generation of students.

Wrath of the Gods will now open without the filmmaker who led the effort to bring it to the screen, closing a family saga that extended far beyond a single film.

Director

Wrath of the Gods

director and writer

Completed

2026

 

Children of the Wicker Man (2024)

Children of the Wicker Man

6.9

Director

2024

 

Slade @ 150 (2022)

Slade @ 150

Director

2022

 

Locked Up Abroad (2007)

Locked Up Abroad

8.1

TV Series

Director

2021

1 episode

 

King Charles III, Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry, Prince William of Wales, Meghan Markle, and Catherine Princess of Wales in The Windsors: A Royal Dynasty (2020)

The Windsors: A Royal Dynasty

7.4

TV Series

drama director

2020

6 episodes

 

Conquest 1066: Told by the teacher you wish you'd had

TV Mini Series

Director

2018

 

Conquest: From Hereward the Wake to Brexit

TV Mini Series

Director

2018

 

Behind the Documentary: China's Forgotten War with Rana Mitter (2017)

Behind the Documentary: China's Forgotten War with Rana Mitter

TV Movie

Director

2017

 

Lost Reels of Nineveh with Amara Thornton (2017)

Lost Reels of Nineveh with Amara Thornton

TV Short

Director

2017

 

Silk Roads with Peter Frankopan (2017)

Silk Roads with Peter Frankopan

TV Movie

Director

2017

 

Steven Mackintosh, Kara Tointon, Olivia Williams, Matt Ryan, Jamie Blackley, Sope Dirisu, and Hermione Corfield in The Halcyon (2017)

The Halcyon

7.4

TV Series

Director

2017

2 episodes

 

A Spell on You (2015)

A Spell on You

5.8

Director

2015

 

The Green Park (2015)

The Green Park

6.6

Director

2015

 

Warren Brown in Captain Webb (2015)

Captain Webb

5.8

Director

2015

 

The Jesus Mysteries (2014)

The Jesus Mysteries

6.3

TV Movie

drama director

2014

 

37 Days (2014)

37 Days

8.1

TV Mini Series

Director

2014

3 episodes

 

Love Me Till Monday (2013)

Love Me Till Monday

5.5

Director

2013

 

Samantha Bond and David Morrissey in London's Burning (2011)

London's Burning

6.9

TV Movie

Director

2011

 

The Man Who Crossed Hitler (2011)

The Man Who Crossed Hitler

6.6

TV Movie

Director

2011

 

Merv Lukeba in Bloody Foreigners (2010)

Bloody Foreigners

8.7

TV Series

Director

2010

1 episode

 

Mark Gatiss and Bill Paterson in Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen (2009)

Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

7.3

TV Movie

Director

2009

 

1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009)

1066: The Battle for Middle Earth

6.4

TV Mini Series

Director

2009

2 episodes

 

Heist (2008)

Heist

6.9

TV Movie

Director

2008

 

Ian McDiarmid in City of Vice (2008)

City of Vice

7.4

TV Mini Series

Director

2008

3 episodes

 

Iain Glen, Corin Redgrave, and Jemma Redgrave in The Relief of Belsen (2007)

The Relief of Belsen

7.2

TV Movie

Director

2007

 

A Harlot's Progress (2006)

A Harlot's Progress

6.9

TV Movie

Director

2006

 

Trafalgar Battle Surgeon

8.1

TV Movie

Director

2005

 

Princes in the Tower (2005)

Princes in the Tower

7.5

TV Movie

Director

2005

 

Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real (2004)

Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real

6.5

TV Movie

Director

2004

 

Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (2004)

Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

8.0

TV Mini Series

Director

2004

4 episodes

 

Georgian Underworld (2003)

Georgian Underworld

TV Series

Director

2003

2 episodes

 

Fire, Plague, War and Treason

6.1

TV Mini Series

Director

2001

1 episode

 

Beech Is Back (2001)

Beech Is Back

7.5

TV Mini Series

Director

2001

2 episodes

 

Michael French and Nigel Havers in The Gentleman Thief (2001)

The Gentleman Thief

6.2

TV Movie

Director

2001

 

Zoë Eeles, Christopher Ellison, and Justin Pierre in Burnside (2000)

Burnside

7.2

TV Series

Director

2000

2 episodes

 

Hope & Glory (1999)

Hope & Glory

8.1

TV Series

Director

2000

1 episode

 

Nick Berry in Harbour Lights (1999)

Harbour Lights

6.4

TV Series

Director

2000

1 episode

 

Secret History (1991)

Secret History

6.6

TV Series

Director

1999

1 episode

 

The Bill (1984)

The Bill

6.7

TV Series

Director

1997–1999

4 episodes

 

Sean Arnold, Philip Martin Brown, Kate Buffery, and George Irving in Wing and a Prayer (1997)

Wing and a Prayer

6.8

TV Series

Director

1999

2 episodes

 

Strictly Supernatural (1997)

Strictly Supernatural

8.0

TV Series

Director

1997

2 episodes

 

Eyewitness (1994)

Eyewitness

8.9

TV Series

Director

1996

1 episode

 

London Bridge (1996)

London Bridge

8.1

TV Series

Director

1996–1999

 

Christopher Lee in A Feast at Midnight (1994)

A Feast at Midnight

6.7

Director

1994

 

Screenplay (1986)

Screenplay

6.5

TV Series

Director

1988

1 episode

 

Producer

History of Islam with Tom Holland (2017)

History of Islam with Tom Holland

TV Short

editor-producer

2017

 

Temple Church & William the Marshall with Dan Jones (2017)

Temple Church & William the Marshall with Dan Jones

TV Short

edit producer

2017

 

The Knights Templar with Dan Jones (2017)

The Knights Templar with Dan Jones

TV Movie

edit producer

2017

 

Titanic's Tragic Twin: The Britannic Disaster (2016)

Titanic's Tragic Twin: The Britannic Disaster

6.6

TV Movie

executive producer

2016

 

A Spell on You (2015)

A Spell on You

5.8

executive producer

2015

 

The Jesus Mysteries (2014)

The Jesus Mysteries

6.3

TV Movie

executive producer

2014

 

Merv Lukeba in Bloody Foreigners (2010)

Bloody Foreigners

8.7

TV Series

executive producer

2010

1 episode

 

True Horror (2009)

True Horror

7.1

TV Series

executive producer

2009

 

1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (2009)

1066: The Battle for Middle Earth

6.4

TV Mini Series

executive producer

2009

1 episode

 

Heist (2008)

Heist

6.9

TV Movie

producer

2008

 

The Saint & the Hanged Man

6.7

TV Movie

executive producer: Hardy & Sons

2008

 

Ian McDiarmid in City of Vice (2008)

City of Vice

7.4

TV Mini Series

executive producer: Hardy & Sons

2008

5 episodes

 

Iain Glen, Corin Redgrave, and Jemma Redgrave in The Relief of Belsen (2007)

The Relief of Belsen

7.2

TV Movie

producer

2007

 

Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (2004)

Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

8.0

TV Mini Series

producer

2004

4 episodes

 

Writer

Wrath of the Gods

story and screenplay

Completed

2026

 

Theresa vs. Boris: How May Became PM (2017)

Theresa vs. Boris: How May Became PM

6.9

TV Movie

written by

2017

 

A Spell on You (2015)

A Spell on You

5.8

Writer

2015

 

Love Me Till Monday (2013)

Love Me Till Monday

5.5

Writer

2013

 

Iain Glen, Corin Redgrave, and Jemma Redgrave in The Relief of Belsen (2007)

The Relief of Belsen

7.2

TV Movie

written by

2007

 

Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real (2004)

Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real

6.5

TV Movie

story bywritten by

2004

 

Christopher Lee in A Feast at Midnight (1994)

A Feast at Midnight

6.7

original screenplay by

1994

 

Editor

Art Detective: HistoryHit.TV (2017)

Art Detective: HistoryHit.TV

TV Mini Series

Editor

2017

 

Thanks

Way of the Morris (2011)

Way of the Morris

7.1

thanks

2011

 

Jakob Butturff obit

Jakob Butturff Dies at 32 

He was not on the list.

Jakob Butturff died unexpectedly on Friday, July 31 at the age of 32.

Butturff was an eight-time PBA Tour champion, winning one major in the 2019 USBC Masters.

“Jakob was one of the most unique players in PBA history,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said. “Fans marveled at his delivery, as he rode a wave of strikes into becoming a top player in the sport, capable of winning at any time, in any event. Jakob was kind, he was respectful, and he was a champion. He will never be forgotten. Our hearts are with all Butters touched on his one-of-a-kind journey.”

Butturff’s breakout came during the 2016 season.

He won his first two PBA Tour titles and dominated the PBA Regional Tour, winning a record nine titles and earning West Region and Northwest Region Player of the Year honors.

Butturff amassed 27 PBA Regional Tour titles and added Northwest Region Player of the Year awards in 2017 and 2018.

During the 2019 PBA Tour season, Butturff finished as the runner-up in Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year voting.

He won three titles, including his signature major win in the 2019 USBC Masters, finished runner-up to Jason Belmonte in the PBA World Championship, and ranked second to Belmonte in points and earnings.

Butturff was a seven-time member of Team USA. He won the 2017 QubicaAMF World Cup and helped Team USA win multiple gold and silver medals.

He bowled the 28th televised 300 game in PBA history during the 2020 PBA Tour Finals.

Upon hearing the news, countless PBA Tour players expressed their sympathies to Butturff and his family on social media.

“It ain’t supposed to be like this,” wrote EJ Tackett. “It’s nothing short of soul crushing. Butters was one of the guys that would give the shirt off his back for anyone in need and he showed that time and time again. The bowling world lost today and it will never be the same. We all love you buddy. Until we meet again my friend.”

“Butters, I don’t even have the words right now, but just know you will be missed, loved, and always remembered!” wrote AJ Johnson. “You had one of the biggest hearts and made everyone laugh! I love you Butters, now go give your mom the biggest hug you always gave us!”

“The PBA has lost one of its kindest,” Jason Belmonte wrote on social media.

Butturff was born and raised in Las Vegas, and also lived in Phoenix, Ariz. and Binghamton, N.Y.

Jeff Conolly obit

In Memoriam: Jeff Conolly

 

He was not on the list.

Jeff “Monoman” Conolly, front-man of the great Boston garage band Lyres has passed away after a battle with cancer. Conolly was under-appreciated in rock and roll lore, but a seminal figure in the Boston music scene and the garage rock resurgence, not only with Lyres but with his previous band DMZ as well.

I saw Lyres in September, 1988 at The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, after spinning their fantastic debut On Fyre since I was a sophomore in high school a few years earlier. It was visceral and raw and powerful as hell, but still had the hooks and melodies it took to pull me in.

His passing may not make the RIP segment at the Grammys or the 6 o’clock news, but those who know his music will remember him forever. RIP Jeff Conolly. 

Vicki Wickham obit

Vicki Wickham, Influential Music Manager and Songwriter, Dies at 87

 

She was not on the list.

Vicki Heather Wickham, the English talent manager and songwriter whose behind‑the‑scenes work helped launch the careers of Dusty Springfield and the group Labelle, passed away on July 31 2026 at the age of 87.

Born in April 1939 in rural Newbury, England, Wickham grew up in the nearby village of Inkpen. Her first foray into the entertainment world came through television, where she served as an assistant producer on the 1960s music show Ready Steady Go! and later advised on fashion for The Mod’s Monthly, a short‑lived magazine that debuted in March 1964.

Wickham’s most enduring legacy lies in her management of Dusty Springfield and Labelle during pivotal moments of their careers. In 1970, she co‑wrote the English lyrics to Springfield’s only British number‑one hit, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” collaborating with Simon Napier‑Bell. The song, adapted from the Italian “Io che non vivo senza te,” remains a hallmark of the era.

Beyond management, Wickham turned to authorship in 2000, co‑writing Dancing with Demons: The Authorised Biography of Dusty Springfield with Penny Valentine. The biography draws on Wickham’s long‑standing relationship with the singer, offering an in‑depth look at Springfield’s life and career.

In her later years, Wickham was openly gay. A 2012 BBC Radio 4 interview revealed that she met her partner, musician Nona Hendryx of Labelle, in 1970 and that they remained together thereafter.

Her contributions were formally recognised with the Music Industry Woman of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. Two years later, in 2013, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to music.

Over more than five decades, Wickham’s work as a manager, lyricist and producer helped shape key moments in British and American pop music. Her guidance of Springfield and Labelle not only produced chart‑topping hits but also influenced the broader cultural landscape of the 1960s and 1970s.

Wickham’s death marks the loss of a figure whose influence spanned television, fashion, songwriting and artist development. Her legacy endures through the enduring popularity of the songs she helped create, the biographies she authored, and the artists she mentored.

The music community has noted her passing with respect for her pioneering role in an industry that has historically under‑represented women and LGBTQ+ professionals. While no official statement has been released by her estate, industry observers view her career as a testament to the impact that dedicated managers and writers can have on the trajectory of popular music.

At present, there are no announced posthumous releases or memorial events scheduled. Wickham’s contributions will continue to be referenced in discussions of 1960s pop culture and the evolution of artist management.

Peter Regan obit

Vale: Peter Regan

Veteran entertainer Peter Regan best known for The Box, Quest and Prisoner has died.

 

He was not on the list.

Veteran entertainer and producer Peter Regan best known for The Box, Quest and Prisoner has died aged 92.

He passed away following a long illness.

Regan was born in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK, and sang with the famed Frank Chacksfield Orchestra for the BBC.

He performed in West End productions of Damn Yankees, Kiss Me Kate, Once Upon a Mattress, and Charlie Girl where he met actor and wife Olivia Hamnett (1943 – 2001).

Both came to Australia in 1971 for the Australian production of Charlie Girl, featuring a young Johnny Farnham, for producer Ken Brodziak.

Early British TV credits included Crossroads, Who-Dun-it and Z Cars.

After returning to the UK following the Charlie Girl tour he was invited by Crawford Productions to play Big Night Out host Gary Burke in The Box from 1974 – 1976.

“We wanted to come back very much indeed. It was very kind of Crawfords to invite me back and pay the fare. It was wonderful,” he once recalled.

In the first episode he was seduced by Felicity (played by 20-year-old Helen Hemingway) who then announced she was a 15-year-old schoolgirl, causing the fictional TV station to try to avoid the scandal. What followed was journalist Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn) exploiting the situation with Felicity for a story and, in turn, a scene with Australian television’s very first lesbian kiss.

Regan would appear across 496 episodes but opted not to participate in the feature film which followed.

Instead he hosted ABC talent show Quest from 1976 – 1978 featuring Brian May’s ABC Showband and Joe Latona Dancers. Variety appearances also included Penthouse Club, The Graham Kennedy Show, Ted Hamilton’s Musical World, Young Talent Time, Good Morning Australia, An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna and his own Peter Regan’s Musical World on ABC.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s he hosted his own late night Tonight show on NBN Newcastle, “which I enjoyed tremendously, I’d like to do something like that again. I think those days have disappeared for all of us,” he once said.

He also produced That’s Dancin’ for ABC from 1989 – 1991.

Other acting credits include Cop Shop, Prisoner, Carson’s Law, Janus and MDA.

Actor

 

    MDA (2002)

    MDA

    7.4

    TV Series

        Dr. Carl Seeuwen

        2002

    Guy Pearce and Rachel Griffiths in The Hard Word (2002)

    The Hard Word

    5.9

        Governor

        2002

    Janus (1994)

    Janus

    8.6

    TV Series

        Supreme Court Judge

        1995

    Lorraine Bayly in Carson's Law (1983)

    Carson's Law

    8.2

    TV Series

        Johnson

        1983

    Maggie Kirkpatrick in Prisoner (1979)

    Prisoner

    8.2

    TV Series

        Dr. Granger

        1981

    Cop Shop (1977)

    Cop Shop

    7.1

    TV Series

        Edgar Somers

        1979

    The Box (1974)

    The Box

    7.4

    TV Series

        Gary Burke

        1974–1976

    Z Cars (1962)

    Z Cars

    7.1

    TV Series

        Frank

        1971

    Jack Warner in Dixon of Dock Green (1955)

    Dixon of Dock Green

    6.9

    TV Series

        Danny RogersBriggs

        1969–1970

    The Wednesday Play (1964)

    The Wednesday Play

    7.3

    TV Series

        1st Man in pub

        1969

    Who-Dun-It

    TV Series

        Neil Ford

        1969

    Crossroads (1964)

    Crossroads

    4.5

    TV Series

        Howard Lucifer

        1969

    So Much to Remember

    TV Movie

        1964

    Kiss Me Kate (1964)

    Kiss Me Kate

    7.3

    TV Movie

        1964

 

Producer

 

    That's Dancin'

    TV Series

        producer

        1989–1991

 

Soundtrack

 

    Graham Kennedy in The Graham Kennedy Show (1972)

    The Graham Kennedy Show

    6.8

    TV Series

        performer: "She Touched Me"performer: "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)"

        1972

 

Self

 

    An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna (1986)

    An Aussie Audience with Dame Edna

    TV Special

        Self (uncredited)

        1986

    Music in the Air

    TV Series

        Self

        1983

    Peter Regan's Musical World

    TV Special

        Self

        1979

    Quest

    TV Series

        Self - Host

        1976–1978

    Young Talent Time (1971)

    Young Talent Time

    7.1

    TV Series

        Self - Guest

        1975–1976

    Penthouse Club (1970)

    Penthouse Club

    TV Series

        Self

        1976

    O'Keefe at the Cathedral

    TV Special

        Self

        1975

    Ted Hamilton's Musical World

    TV Series

        Self

        1974

    Graham Kennedy in The Graham Kennedy Show (1972)

    The Graham Kennedy Show

    6.8

    TV Series

        Self

        1972

    Mary Hopkin in the Land of ... (1970)

    Mary Hopkin in the Land of ...

    TV Series

        Self

        1970

 

Kazimira Prunskienė obit

Lithuania's first post-independence prime minister Kazimira Prunskienė dies at 83

 She was not on the list.

Kazimira Prunskienė, the first prime minister of independent Lithuania, has died at the age of 83, the Delfi news portal reported on Thursday.

Prunskienė was the first head of the Lithuanian government following the restoration of independence and remained a prominent figure in national politics for several decades.

Born in 1943 in the village of Vasiuliškės, Švenčionys district in northeastern Lithuania, Prunskienė graduated from high school in Vilnius and earned a degree in economics.

She later became a doctor of economic sciences and a professor. In the late 1980s, during the independence movement, she was elected as a people's deputy.

Alongside other signatories, Prunskienė signed the Act of the Re-establishment of the State of Lithuania on March 11, 1990, and shortly afterwards became the first prime minister of the post-independence era.

That year, as Lithuania sought international recognition, she met with the leaders of the United States, Britain and France.

Prunskienė resigned as prime minister in January 1991, shortly before the bloody events of January 13 at the TV Tower, after the Supreme Council overturned a controversial decision by her government to raise food prices.

Prunskienė remained active in Lithuanian politics in later years, serving as a member of parliament from 1996 to 2008 and as agriculture minister from 2004 to 2008.

She led several political organisations, including the Lithuanian Women's Party, the New Democracy/Women's Party, the New Democracy Party, the Union of Peasants and New Democratic Parties, and the Lithuanian People's Party.

During the Soviet occupation, she was a member of the Communist Party.

In 2012, Prunskienė suffered a stroke. The incident impaired her speech, and she did not return to active politics due to her health condition.

Since the restoration of independence, Prunskienė had faced allegations of possible cooperation with the Soviet KGB.

A years-long legal process concluded in January 2011, when the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania issued a final ruling overturning a decision by the Lustration Commission.

The commission had previously unanimously found that the politician had secretly cooperated with the KGB during the Soviet occupation, carrying out intelligence, counter-intelligence and ideological surveillance tasks.

 

Nirmal Purja obit

Nirmal Purja Dies In Avalanche: Celebrated Mountaineer Featured In Netflix Documentary ’14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible’ Was 43

 

He was not on the list.

Nirmal Purja, the British-Nepali mountaineer whose renowned career was featured in the 2021 Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible, died in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan on Thursday, July 30, his company has confirmed. He was 43.

Purja was one of 10 people killed in the tragedy.

Elite Expeditions, Purja’s company, said in a statement, “Today, it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive. Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy.”

The statement, posted on Instagram – read it in its entirety below – continued, “The world has lost one of mountaineering’s greatest climbers, a leader who inspired millions through his courage, humility and unwavering belief that human potential is far greater than we often imagine.”

Purja’s brother Kamal later said in a statement, “It is with the heaviest heart that I share the devastating news that my beloved younger brother, Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, and the other climbers are no longer with us. Although our hearts are broken, we are incredibly proud of you. Your legacy will live forever.”

Born in Nepal and later serving in the British army, Purja was best known for his 2019 accomplishment of scaling the world’s 14 highest peaks in just over six months. “It has been a grueling but humbling six months,” he said at the time, “and I hope to have proven that anything is possible with some determination, self-belief and positivity.”

The 14-peak adventure was chronicled in the Netflix film 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (see the trailer below). “The biggest strength I have is that I have no fear,” the indefatigable Purja says in the trailer.

In a statement, Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah said that “the tragic death of six Nepalese and four other foreign climbers, including world record holder Nirmal Purja, in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, has shocked us. The history of their courage, dedication, and contributions will always remain inspiring.”

Purja served in the British military for 16 years and was awarded an MBE in 2018 for his achievement in extreme high-altitude mountaineering.

Purja, who lived in Hampshire, England, is survived by his wife and and three-year-old daughter. Complete information on survivors was not immediately available.