All the ascents to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit of the world's tallest mountain between 1983 and 1996 by Ang Rita, who went by his first name, like many Sherpas, were made without bottled oxygen.

The 72-year-old, who had suffered brain and liver ailments for a long time, died at his home in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, his grandson, Phurba Tshering, said.

Ang Rita was also known as the "snow leopard" for his climbing skills.

"He was a climbing star and his death is a major loss for the country and for the climbing fraternity," said Ang Tshering Sherpa, a former president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.