Three years ago, social media was overflowing with videos of people emptying ice-cold buckets of water on themselves. The Ice Bucket Challenge, as it was called, was initiated to raise awareness about the fatal neurological disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Anthony Senerchia Jr, who was an inspiration for the viral challenge, died on Saturday at the age of 46, after a 14-year battle with ALS. The disease is a rare disorder in which the motor neurons that control muscle function slowly die. It currently has no cure.
“Anthony's positive attitude and fighting spirit helped him beat doctors' expectations by living more than ten years beyond their prognosis,” his obituary said. It added that, “he worked tirelessly to raise awareness for ALS and was directly responsible for the world-renowned Ice Bucket Challenge.”