North Face & Esprit co-founder Douglas Tompkins passes away in Chile

London - The co-founder of the North Face and Esprit, Douglas Rainsford Tompkins, who invested a large part of his fortune into conservation, passed away following a kayaking accident in Patagonia, Chile.

Tompkins, who was 72, was taken to a hospital in Coyhaique with severe hypothermia after strong winds capsized his kayak during a journey across Lake General Carrea in Patagonia on Tuesday, according to authority report. He passed away roughly six hours after arriving at hospital, in the intensive care unit in Coyhaique.

Businessman and conservationist Douglas Tompkins dies in kayaking accident in Patagonia

"He had lost consciousness and wasn't breathing" when he was airlifted to the hospital by helicopter, said Dr Carlos Salazar to local television stations.

Although he retired in 1989, Tompkins remained active in conservation and environmentalism. Together with his second wife, Kristine, he bought and preserved over two million acres of land throughout South America, more than any other private individual in the region with the ultimate goal to conserve the local ecosystems. He owed hundreds of thousands of hectares in Patagonia alone.

We are all deeply saddened by the news of Doug Tompkins’ passing. Doug was special to many of us. He founded The North Face in 1966 as a small ski and backpacking retail and mail order operation in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. He was a passionate advocate for the environment, and his legacy of conservation is one that we hope to help continue in the work we do every day. He most recently visited our headquarters in Alameda, CA in 2013 and again inspired us to live a life of outdoor exploration. He will be missed.

A photo posted by The North Face (@thenorthface) on Dec 8, 2015 at 5:11pm PST

"Doug was a passionate advocate for the environment," said The North Face in a statement. "His legacy of conservation will help ensure that there are outdoor spaces to be explored for generations to come."

Tompkins and his wife at the time, Susie, founded the outdoor company the North Face in 1966 and focused on developing quality tents, sleeping bags and backpacks. He sold the company in 1969, which was eventually acquired by VF Corporation in 2000.

In 1968, Tompkins and Susie, together with a friend Jane Tise began selling clothing young girls, which went on to become a runaway success under the name 'Plain Jane' and ultimately became Esprit. By 1978, company sales exceeded 100 million US dollars and the company had partnerships in Germany and Hong Kong.

When Tompkins finally decided to retire and leave the business world in 1989, he sold his share of US business branch of Esprit back to Susie and moved to southern Chile, where he invested most of the profits from his brands into land conservation.

"For the environmental movement, not just in Chile but internationally, (Tompkins' death) is a huge loss," said Sara Larrain, a long-time friend of Tompkins who leads a Chilean environmental group. "This is somebody who put all his energy, all his fortune and his spirit in preserving ecosystems."

In one of Tompkins final interviews, which was published last month in Chilean magazine Paula, Tompkins was questioned on his legacy. "People will walk on these lands," he said. "Don’t you think that’s more beautiful than a tomb?"