Pete Frates, an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) advocate who helped found the Ice Bucket Challenge, has died after a seven-year battle with the progressive disease. He was 34.
A spokesman for Boston College, where Frates was a baseball captain, announced the news of Frates’ death on Monday, CBS Boston reports.
Frates was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012 when he was 27. He went on to raise awareness and funds for his condition, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Frates helped popularize the viral Ice Bucket Challenge along with Anthony Senerchia, who died in 2017 at age 46. The social media hashtag became a sensation in 2014, sparking about 17 million videos of people dumping ice on themselves, which helped to raise over $200 million for ALS.
He is survived by his wife, Julie Frates, 28, and their 5-year-old daughter, Lucy.
In an obituary from the family, Frates was described as an “inspiration … who drew strength from his courage and resiliency.”
The Beverly, Massachusetts, native last shared photos on Twitter of a gift from the Boston Red Sox in September.
CBS Boston reports a funeral Mass for Frates will be held Friday at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
