Man Dies While Hiking in Hollywood Hills

A man became ill and died today while hiking in a Hollywood Hills park during unseasonably hot weather, authorities said.

The victim -- reported by NBC4 to be a 56-year-old man -- was reported stricken around 2:20 p.m. in Runyon Canyon Park, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A helicopter was deployed for a possible hoist rescue, but the man died at the scene, Humphrey said.

The man's body was eventually hoisted from the scene by a helicopter.

He appeared to have died from natural causes, according to the watch commander at the Los Angeles Police Department's Hollywood Station, but no further details were available.

Temperatures in Hollywood reached the upper-80s today, according to the National Weather Service, but it was unclear if the heat played a role in the man's death.

--City News Service