Anthony Senerchia Jr, the man who inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, died on November 25 in New York due to complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Time Magazine reported on Wednesday.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral in 2014, involved pouring a bucket of ice water over your head to experience the muscle stiffness associated with the disease. The campaign raised $115 million (Rs 742 crore) in 2014. The money was used to fund ALS research, which discovered a gene that causes the disease.
“He [Senerchia] worked tirelessly to raise awareness for ALS and was directly responsible for the world-renowned ice bucket challenge,” his obituary read. “Anthony will be remembered as a fireball who tried everything in life. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.”
Senerchia was diagnosed with ALS in 2003, the same year he married Jeanette Hane. “It’s a difficult disease and tough when you’re losing,” Jeanette told the Journal News Media Group on Sunday. “Your body is failing you. But he was a fighter..he was our light. He made our life better.”
Senerchia was the captain of his high school football team, his obituary said. After graduating from high school, Senerchia attended Delhi University for two years followed by four years at Manhattan College, graduating as a civil engineer.
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