Story highlights British explorer Henry Worsley dies in solo South Pole mission

Friend Prince William pays tribute to explorer who raised thousands for charity

(CNN) British explorer Henry Worsley has died attempting to be the first person to cross the Antarctic unaided, in an epic charity mission inspired by Ernest Shackleton.

The 55-year-old former British Army officer died after being airlifted to a hospital in Punta Arenas, Chile, suffering severe exhaustion and dehydration.

The father-of-two was found to have bacterial peritonitis (a bacterial infection in the abdomen), after having trekked around 913 miles unaided across the South Pole -- just 30 miles short of his end goal.

Worsley was 71 days into his record-breaking solo mission to complete the legendary British explorer Ernest Shackleton's unsuccessful crossing of Antarctica in the early 1900s.

But Worsley was forced to call for help on Friday amid blizzard conditions, and in poor health he was airlifted to hospital.