Corey Griffin, the co-founder of viral fund-raising effort the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, has died while diving off a pier in Nantucket.

• EXPLAINER What is the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?

According to The Boston Globe, the 27-year-old had just attended a fundraiser for ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) on Friday where he managed to raise $100,000 for his friend Pete Frates, a sufferer of ALS.

Corey Griffin

After the event, Mr Griffin dived off a building at Straight Wharf in Nantucket and drowned around 2am on Saturday. 

An off-duty lifeguard managed to recover his body and Mr Griffin was pronounced dead at 3am.

The 27-year-old got involved in the ALS cause after Mr Frates, a close friend, was diagnosed with the illness in 2012.

The pair’s awareness-raising effort, in which people are asked to douse themselves in ice water and nominate a friend to do the same, has gone viral and attracted many celebrity participants.

Mr Griffin’s father, Robert Griffin, told The Boston Globe that his son was determined to help Mr Frates through his ordeal.

“He was so happy to be able to help him,” Mr Griffin said.

Mr Frates paid tribute to his friend and collaborator on his Facebook page:

“Team FrateTrain lost a good friend today, Corey Griffin.

“Helping out was nothing new for Griff. He held his own event for me back in 2012, just a few months after diagnosis. He worked his butt off these last few weeks for ALS. We texted everyday, planning and scheming ways to raise funds and plan events.

“Julie, myself, the Frates family and Team FrateTrain sends their love and support to the South Shore and the Griffin family.

“God Bless.

“RIP Corey.”