Obituary: Pat Quinn, Co-Founder Of Ice Bucket Challenge

Pat Quinn, the Yonkers resident who co-founded the wildly popular Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, died Nov. 22. He was 37.

Quinn was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, seven years ago. He saw an Ice Bucket Challenge on the social media feed of the friends and family of the late Anthony Senerchia, of Pelham, and he and fellow ALS sufferer Pete Frates popularized the challenge as a fundraiser.

It raised $115 million for The ALS Association and over $220 million around the world for ALS research.

"It dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS, leading to new research discoveries, expanded care for people living with ALS, and significant investment from the government in ALS research," the ALS Association wrote on its blog Sunday. "We are deeply sorry to share that Pat Quinn passed away."

In 2015, The ALS Association honored Pat, Pete, and Anthony as “ALS Heroes” at its annual Leadership Conference, an award given to people living with ALS who have had a significant positive impact on the fight against ALS. Senerchia died in 2017 and Frates died in 2019.

Quinn continued hosting an Ice Bucket Challenge in Yonkers every year.

In 2018, Quinn said, "I'm extremely proud to know 'Quinn For The Win' and Yonkers continue to fight ALS together. We live by the mantra, 'Every August Until A Cure.' There is greater hope within the ALS community now than ever before because of the Ice Bucket Challenge, but we can't stop now."

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. ALS, a disease with no known cure, usually strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70. About 20,000 Americans currently suffer from the disease.