One of the men who helped launched the Ice Bucket Challenge has died aged 37.
Patrick Quinn, from New York, had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the US, seven years ago. The rapidly progressive condition affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
In 2014, he helped the Ice Bucket Challenge go viral, which saw people film themselves being soaked in cold water before donating and nominating their friends. It went on to raise more than $220 million (around £165 million) for medical research into the disease.
Mr Quinn died on Sunday morning, with his supporters paying tribute to him on a Facebook page. They wrote: ‘He was a blessing to us all in so many ways. We will always remember him for his inspiration and courage in his tireless fight against ALS.’
The ALS Association credited Mr Quinn with helping to popularise ‘the greatest social media campaign in history’ and noted they were ‘deeply saddened’ by his death.
A spokesperson went on: ‘The Ice Bucket challenge dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS, leading to new research discoveries, expansion of care for people with ALS, and greater investment by the government in ALS research.
‘Pat continued to raise awareness and funds for the fight against ALS and our thoughts are with the Quinn family and all of his friends and supporters. Pat was loved by many of us within the ALS community and around the world.
‘He will be missed, but he will continue to inspire us until we have a world without ALS.’
Mr Quinn was diagnosed with motor neurone disease a month after his 30th birthday. He helped popularise the Ice Bucket Challenge with co-founder Pete Frates and their teams of supporters.
In 2015, the association honoured them as ‘ALS Heroes’, an award given to people living with the disease who have had a significant positive impact on the fight against it.
Mr Frates, a former Boston College baseball player, died in December 2019 at the age of 34.
On the fifth anniversary of the challenge, Mr Quinn told a crowd in Boston: ‘Nobody knew the Ice Bucket Challenge would become a worldwide phenomenon, but we united as one because that is what it takes to change a disease like ALS.
‘There are warriors all over the world unwilling to accept it as a death sentence. We will never stop fighting together. I will not leave this Earth until I know the next person diagnosed with ALS has a real plan to live with this disease, not just die from it.’
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