A 69-year-old British man collapsed and died just moments after fulfilling his lifelong dream of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Alistair Cook texted his wife to tell her he was “exhausted but so happy” that he'd made it to the top of the 19,341-foot peak, then dropped dead of a fatal heart attack while making his descent, reported the Express.co.uk.

The trip to the rooftop of Africa had been planned as an early birthday celebration for Cook, from Leicestershire, England, who would have turned 70 on Monday.