New Hanover County officials said the call came in around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, according to WWAY.
It is unclear if Johnny Vann, 35, drowned or died due to a medical event.
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Witnesses say Vann tried to rescue his children from being pushed out to deep water around the jetty.
Vann's wife Dawn told WWAY he did rescue four of his seven children from the water.
According to Vann's wife, rescue crews performed CPR on him for 45 minutes.
The family was visiting from Durham after recently moving there from Michigan.