Former US college baseball player, Peter Frates, whose battle with motor neurone disease helped inspire the Ice Bucket Challenge, has died at the age of 34.
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He died peacefully, surrounded by his family, they said in a statement.
"A natural born leader and the ultimate teammate, Pete was a role model for all, especially young athletes, who looked up to him for his bravery and unwavering positive spirit in the face of adversity," the family said.
"He was a noble fighter who inspired us all to use our talents and strengths in the service of others."
The Ice Bucket Challenge was started in 2014 by pro-golfer Chris Kennedy, whose wife has a family member with MND, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, after the New York Yankees baseball star.
When Frates and his family got involved, the phenomenon exploded on social media.
The process was simple: take a bucket of ice water, dump it over your head, post a video on social media and challenge others to do the same or make a donation to charity. Most people did both.
Thousands of people participated, including celebrities, sports stars and politicians - even Donald Trump before his election. Online videos were viewed millions of times.
"The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge represents all that's great about this country - it's about fun, friends, family, and it makes a difference to all of us living with ALS," Frates said at the time.
The Washington-based ALS Association said: "Pete Frates changed the trajectory of ALS forever and showed the world how to live with a fatal disease.
Frates, from Boston, was playing for the Lexington Blue Sox in 2011 when he got hit on the wrist by a pitch and noticed that it was not healing properly. After months of testing, he was diagnosed with MND in 2012.
As the disease progressed, he became paralysed and had to use a wheelchair, lost the ability to talk and had to be fed through a tube.
With the help of funds raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge, significant investments in research on the causes of and potential treatments for MND have been made. Dozens of research institutions and hundreds of scientists around the world have benefited from the money raised.
Australian Associated Press
