Pete Frates is alive and having some fun on Twitter after Mike Barnicle reported his death

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By Alban Murtishi | MassLive.com Reporter

Pete Frates, the man behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, was falsely reported to have died Monday morning.

Several outlets, including The Sun and Insider Business News, cited journalist Mike Barnicle as the source of the report. Barnicle later deleted the tweet and issued an apology.

Despite suffering from ALS for nearly five years, and becoming hospitalized Sunday, Frates is very much alive, and is now having some fun on Twitter to show how much fight he's got left in him.

Here's how Frates is taking the news of his "death."

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Steven Senne

What to know about Frates

Frates is a former Boston College baseball captain who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012.

In 2014, he and his family kicked off the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral social media phenomenon that raised money and awareness for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

The challenge raised over $100 million for the ALS Association in 2014.

Frates' mother alerted "FrateTrain" followers on Sunday that he was back in the hospital "battling this ALS like a Superhero."

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Barnicle

Barnicle said the false information about Frates' supposed death came from a family friend.

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More fight

Frates is currently at Massachusetts General Hospital receiving treatment. Shortly after the false reports went out about his death, the family posted this in the Team FrateTrain Facebook page.

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"I'm still alive..."

What better song to reassure Frate Train fans than "Alive," by Pearl Jam. Frates tweeted out a video of him enjoying the song from his hospital bed.

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Following Frates' Pearl Jam tweet, former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason, who was also diagnosed with ALS in 2011, sent Frates his favorite Pearl Jam playlist.

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Fake dead

Shortly after the rumors had been dispelled, Barstool Sports, which has reported on Frates' condition as well as the Ice Bucket Challenge since 2014, published what was going to be their officialy obituary for Frates.

One reporter tweeted that he was taken aback by the rumors of Frates death.

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Frates had an appropriate, Fourth of July-themed response for his reporter friend.

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The Undertaker

Frates also retweeted a more-than-appropriate GIF from another Barstool Sports reporter. This time it was the WWE's Undertaker.

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