She reached the summit of the highest mountain in 1975, but in all humility said she was only the 36th person to do so.

Japanese media reports have said that the first woman to climb Mount Everest has died.

Junko Tabei died on Thursday of cancer at a hospital outside of Tokyo, according to the reports. She was 77.

She did it in 1975

Tabei reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain in 1975. In 1992, she also became the first woman to complete the “Seven Summits,” reaching the highest peaks of the seven continents.

She gained world fame after the Everest feat, but played it down, telling Sports Illustrated in a 1996 profile- “I was the 36th person to climb Everest.”

Japan’s Kyodo News agency said that Tabei scaled peaks in more than 60 countries.

Climbing despite cancer

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said she continued climbing even after being diagnosed with cancer four years ago.