Mastan Babu died on 24 March 2015 in Andes mountains after getting caught in bad weather post a successful attempt of Tres Cruces Sur Summit.

The continent-spanning journey that began with a schoolboy drawing inspiration from a Sainik School senior who had died while nearing the top of Mount Everest thus ended high on another demanding peak in the Andes.

Born on 3 September 1974 at Gandhi Janasangam village of Sangam Mandal in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh to a family of Malli Mastanayya and Subbamma, Mastan Babu was their fifth child.

[2] An early inspiration for his turn towards mountaineering is said to have been the statue in his school of Lt. M.Uday Bhaskar Rao, a former student who was among those who died during the Indian Army's Everest expedition of 1985.

[5] He also received the Army Commander's Commendation in 2007 and the 2006 Conjee Rustumjee Cohoujee Bey Award given by the Friends of South Asian American Communities in California (FOSACC) for outstanding youth contribution.

He continued to inspire countless students in his former schools and colleges by his record-breaking pursuits, writing to them, participating in alumni meets, and holding courses on hiking, high altitude trekking, Yoga, Vipassana meditation, etc.

[5][8] After the quick (172 days) summiting of the highest peak in each of the seven continents in 2006, Malli continued to set new benchmarks of physical and mental endurance and excellence.

Between 21 October and 3 November of the same year, he executed his plan to run 14 half marathons in 14 days in 14 different states, during which he received support from the Indian Army.

[10] Malli relished the opportunity of standing at top of peaks and of realizing the relative insignificance of humans when compared with awe-inspiring Nature.

[13] Malli, who was climbing solo, was caught up in the exceptionally bad weather, which also led to the 2015 Northern Chile floods and mudflow, in the Andes.