ALS Ice Bucket Challenge co-founder Pat Quinn dies at 37
Pat Quinn, a co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, died Sunday, the ALS Association said. He was 37.
The Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $200 million for ALS research. Quinn was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2013, and fought it "with positivity and bravery and inspired all around him," the ALS Association said in a statement. "Those of us who knew him are devastated but grateful for all he did to advance the fight against ALS."
In 2014, Quinn and Pete Frates popularized the challenge, which involved people dumping buckets of ice water on their heads and posting a video of it online, challenging others to do the same or donate to the ALS Association. The organization called the challenge "the greatest social media campaign in history," saying the funding "dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS, leading to new research discoveries, expanded care for people living with ALS, and significant investment from the government in ALS research." Frates died in 2019.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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