Pioneer heart surgeon dies, aged 78

The man who invented the heart transplant has died.

Christiaan Barnard passed away at a hotel in Cyprus at the age of 78.

The South African literally gained overnight fame on December 2, 1967, when he led the team that performed the first human-to-human heart transplant.

Christiaan Barnard was born in 1922 in Beaufort West, a small town about six hours drive inland from Cape Town.

After attending the local school, Barnard won a place at the University of Cape Town to study medicine, where he qualified in the middle of his class.

He rapidly developed one of the best heart surgery units in the world in Cape Town.

He retired in 1983 and developed a game reserve in South Africa.