Overview

• Alexander Pancoe, a renowned climber and philanthropist, died on May 4, 2025, at Camp II on Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak, during a fundraising expedition.
• Expedition organizers suspect cardiac arrest as the cause of death, though confirmation awaits postmortem examination.
• Pancoe was raising $27,838 for pediatric blood cancer research at Lurie Children’s Hospital, a cause tied to his own survival from a brain tumor treated there in 2005.
• He had completed the Explorers Grand Slam in 2019, becoming one of only 75 people globally to achieve this feat while raising nearly $500,000 for charity.
• Efforts are underway to retrieve Pancoe’s body from the Himalayan high-altitude camp, with tributes pouring in from his family, climbing community, and Lurie Children’s Hospital.