Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, has died at 96 after complications from a heart attack.
The Cincinnati physician became a household name when his choking-prevention move was popularized in the 1970s.
SEE MORE: At 96, Henry Heimlich Got The Chance To Use His Own Maneuver
But he also received a good deal of criticism during his career.
The maneuver he became famous for might not have been entirely his idea.
SEE MORE: Pizza Delivery Driver Helps Save Choking Man's Life
Dr. Edward Patrick, also deceased, claimed he helped Heimlich develop the life-saving technique.
Dr. Heimlich also supported a controversial theory that malaria injections could cure HIV and other diseases.
In the 1990s, Heimlich backed experiments in China that infected AIDS patients with small doses of malaria. The World Health Organization called it one of the modern "atrocities" committed by doctors.
His family released a statement after his death, saying, "He was single-minded in his quest to find better ways to save lives. Dad dreamed that anything was possible in the field of medicine, even when critics said otherwise."
