Alexander Pancoe recently fought chronic myeloid leukemia and was attempting to climb Makalu to raise funds for a pediatric blood cancer program at a Chicago hospital.

An American climber died while attempting to scale Mount Makalu in Nepal, officials said on Tuesday (May 6, 2025). Nepal's Mountaineering Department identified the climber who died on Sunday (May 4, 2025) on the slopes of the world's fifth tallest mountain as 39-year-old Alexander Pancoe.

A US climber died attempting to scale the world's fifth-highest mountain, Makalu, his expedition organiser said Monday, the second death of this climbing season.