(ANSA) - Italian adventurer Ambrogio Fogar, famous for his solo sailing and polar walking expeditions, has died at the age of 64.
His family said he had had a cardiac arrest early Wednesday morning. Fogar was left severely paralysed in 1992, when his jeep overturned during the Paris-Moscow-Beijing rally. Despite his handicap, in 1997 Fogar participated in a sailing expedition around Italy called "Operation Hope", aimed at raising public awareness for the disabled. He also wrote articles and raised funds for the cause.
Fogar remained in the limelight, writing several books including 'Solo - La forza di vivere' (Alone - The strength to survive) which detailed his daily struggle to overcome despair. Two months ago, he announced plans to leave for China to undergo stem cell treatment, saying he would never give up hope for recovery.
Fogar shot to fame in 1973 for his solo east-to-west sailing adventure around the world, which took him against air and wind currents. In 1983 he reached the North Pole on a seven-week solo walk. His first major setback came in 1978, when he and close friend Mauro Mancini spent 74 days in a lifeboat after their
sailboat was capsized near the Antarctic by a killer whale. Mancini died shortly after being rescued by a freighter.
