Sea explorer Cousteau dead

PARIS, June 25: French undersea explorer and committed environmental campaigner Jacques-Yves Cousteau, world famous for his films and books on oceanography, died today at the age of 87.8220;Commander Jacques-Yves Cousteau has rejoined the world of silence,8221; said a statement by the office which coordinated his exploration and ecological activities around the globe.

Cousteau opened up the mysteries of the deep to uninitiated millions of viewers around the world.

His voyages aboard his ship The Calypso were the subject of more than 100 films for television and the big screen as well as best-selling books.

Co-inventor of the aqua-lung, he also pioneered the first underwater habitats in the 1960s, allowing 8220;oceanauts8221; to live at depths of hundreds of feet for weeks at a time. Immensely popular through his television series, he frequently topped polls as the most admired figure in France.