A man died Sunday night when he fell into Lake Martin while dining out with a friend.

Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said the man, whose identity is not being released pending notification of his family, traveled by boat with a neighbor to have dinner at Kowaliga Restaurant on Kowaliga Marina Road in Alexander City.

When the friends realized the restaurant — a popular Lake Martin institution that goes back 70 years — was closed for a private party, they returned to their boat.

As the victim tried to step onto the boat, he fell into the water between the boat and the dock, Franklin said. His friend tried to save him but was unsuccessful.