Lawmaker Maloney's husband dies in Himalayan climb

Photo credit: AP File | Rep. Carolyn Maloney's husband, Clifton, died on a mountain-climbing expedition in Tibet, it was announced Sept. 26, 2009.

The husband of U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney has died after climbing to the top of a Himalayan mountain, aides to the congresswoman said yesterday.

Clifton Maloney, 71, a millionaire investment banker, died yesterday while resting near the top of the world's sixth-highest mountain. The cause of death is undetermined.

His body is marooned on the slopes of Cho Oyu, a nearly 27,000-foot peak between the borders of China and Nepal. U.S. authorities are working to recover his body.

Aides to the Democratic congresswoman, who represents parts of Queens and Manhattan, told The Associated Press her husband had been in excellent health.

In a statement, his family said Maloney had completed the New York City Marathon 20 times, and was the oldest man to summit the mountain he died on, according to Politico.

"I am told that his last words were, 'I am the happiest man in the world. I just climbed a beautiful mountain,' " congressional aide Barry Nolan told the AP.

Maloney was "very shaken" by her husband's death, Nolan said, according to the AP. The two married in 1976 and have two daughters.

He had reached the summit with the help of a sherpa on Friday. Both had rested overnight at a camp at about 23,000 feet.

Maloney had failed once before to reach the summit of Cho Oyu, which means "Green Goddess," but finally succeeded.