Longtime reporter Mike Barnicle reported Monday morning that Pete Frates passed away at 32. Barnicle couldn’t have been more wrong.
Barnicle on Twitter incorrectly reported Frates’ death, as the Frates family quickly shot down the reports. Frates, who suffers from ALS, is in the hospital after a rough weekend, but his family emphatically denied the erroneous report either directly or through reporters.
Many incorrect reports out there about @PeteFrates3. Just spoke with @JohnFrates who tells me Pete, while struggling, is with us & fighting
— Steve Buckley (@BuckinBoston) July 3, 2017
Pete's family wants everyone to know that he is resting comfortably at MGH-the Docs,medicine,prayers,love continue to help him get stronger.
— Nancy Frates (@momfrates) July 3, 2017
And then it was Pete’s turn himself to show the world he’s still going strong with a little help from Pearl Jam.
in the words of my friend
ed pic.twitter.com/g7iIR4rfmT— Pete Frates (@PeteFrates3) July 3, 2017
Frates, a former Boston College baseball player, has been instrumental in raising awareness for ALS, a crippling disease which has no cure — yet. The Ice Bucket Challenge, created by Frates, swept the nation by storm in the summer of 2014, reportedly raising $115 million toward research for the disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
While Barnicle’s error is a horrible journalistic misstep, the silver lining is that Frates is still kicking, and it’s another opportunity to raise awareness (and a little money) to help fight the awful disease.
