SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The man who helped make the ice bucket challenge a social media sensation has died.
Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. He helped promote the viral video challenge in 2014, which raised more than $220 million for research into the illness also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Participants would challenge others to share videos of themselves dumping a bucket of icy water over their own heads to raise awareness. The fundraiser began in 2014 when pro golfer Chris Kennedy challenged his wife’s cousin Jeanette Senerchia, whose husband has ALS.
Frates was 34.