Dr. Henry Heimlich, who is best known for the Heimlich maneuver that has saved thousands of people for from choking to death, died early Saturday. He was 96.

The famous physician breathed his last breath early yesterday morning at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bryan Reynolds, a spokesperson for Episcopal Retirement Services, which operates the retirement home where Dr. Heimlich lived for years, confirmed his death.

Reynolds added that Dr. Heimlich was experiencing complications related to a major heart attack that he suffered last Monday.

The Heimlich maneuver saves the life of a choking victim by ejecting a throat obstruction with a bear hug and abdominal thrusts. The move was originally called subdiaphragmatic pressure. Since its inception in 1974, it has become a life-saving tool across the nation and beyond as well as a part of modern culture.

It has been taught in schools, displayed on restaurant posters and portrayed in movies. Several medical authorities endorsed it. By 1980, it had gained enough prominence to be entered in various foreign-language dictionaries.

The family and friends of the late physician said they were deeply saddened by the death of a man who’s seen as a hero by millions of people, adding that his legacy extends beyond his prominent life-saving method.