Yeah he was only 64, though he had had health issues in the past.
At least he went out doing what he best. These were his last words: "On 26th October last year, not 10 metres from where these men are now entombed, you had a 400-tonne rock fall. Why is it, is it the strength of the seam, or the wealth of the seam, that you continue to send men into work in such a dangerous environment?"