A Belle Harbor man remembered for saving six of his neighbor's lives during the height of Hurricane Sandy has died.

A relative tells NY1 that neighborhood hero Michael McDonell died from a long battle with skin cancer on Monday.

McDonnell told NY1 about his heroic deeds during the storm back in November of 2012.

• With Quick Thinking and Courage, Queens Man Saves Neighbors During Sandy

The Belle Harbor man braved floodwaters to escape a fire in his Beach 130th Street home and swam with his landlord's family members on his back to safety to his next door neighbor's home. When that house caught fire, he fashioned a rope out of twine and electrical cords to help ferry his neighbors across the street, and storm surge, to safety.

"When I stepped off the curb, I would go underwater. Wouldn't have the proper breath. So I'd have to hold my breath to get to the middle of the street," McDonell said at the time.

McDonald and Dylan Smith, a surfer who also came to the rescue with his surfboard, were named People Magazine's Heroes of 2012. Smith, tragically, died in a surfing accident just two months after Sandy.