Junko Tabei | Pioneering climber, 77

Junko Tabei, 77, the first woman to climb Mount Everest, died of cancer Thursday at a hospital outside of Tokyo, Japanese media reported Saturday.

She 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.

Her philosophy was to live life to the fullest. "I want to climb even more mountains," she said in a 1991 interview with the Associated Press, 16 years after conquering Everest.

To do so required defying stereotypes, and a supportive husband. "Most Japanese men of my generation would expect the woman to stay at home and clean house," the mother of two said in the 1991 interview.

Ms. Tabei's first summit was nearby Mount Nasu with her teacher in the fourth grade.

She kept climbing even after being diagnosed with cancer four years ago, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. Her goal was to climb the tallest mountain in all of the more than 190 countries of the world. She fell short, but ticked off four more as recently as 2015, according to her website, in Niger, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Oman. - AP