The co-founder of a charity challenge that involves dumping a bucket of ice over one’s head has died from drowning, The Boston Globe reported on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old philanthropist Corey Griffin drowned after jumping off the roof of a two-story building into the harbor in Nantucket, an island off the state of Massachussetts, the newspaper reported.
Griffin played a key role in turning the ice bucket challenge into a viral sensation on the internet to raise funds for research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after the baseball player who died of the progressive neuro-degenerative disease, affects nerve cells in the brain.
The Nantucket diving spot is a popular diving perch for locals, the Globe said. The accident happened Saturday night. Griffin was instrumental in turning the ice bucket challenge into a fund-raising sensation after his friend Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS, the paper reported.
In the past month the ice bucket challenge has collected over 31 million dollars in donations, according to the ALS society. Donors pour a bucket with ice-cold water over their head, post the video on social media and nominate others to donate and do the same.
Many celebrities have already participated in this year’s challenge including Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, >Oprah Winfrey and even former President George W. Bush.
