Sam Berns Of 'Life According To Sam' Dies

Sam Berns was diagnosed with progeria when he was just 22-months-old, and sadly, has died from complications of the illness at the age of 17.

Sam, who starred in the HBO documentary, Life According to Sam, last year, had first arrived to the scene in 2003 when he was just 6-years-old. At the time, Sam made headlines with his rare illness (progeria affects an estimated 1 per 8 million live births), capturing the hearts of people around the globe.

Progeria is defined as an "extremely rare genetic disease wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at a very early age." For Sam, this is what led his parents to suspect something was wrong. At one-year-old, Sam wasn't growing, in fact, he was losing weight, and his hair was thinning. At that point, he was taken to a doctor and diagnosed with the disease.

Following the diagnosis, Sam's parents established The Progeria Research Foundation in hopes at finding a cure for the disease, whose victims have an average lifespan of just 13 years.

Over the weekend, The Progeria Research Foundation announced Sam's passing on thier official website. Their report read, "The family of Sam Berns confirmed today that he passed away Friday evening, January 10, due to complications from Progeria."

Had Sam lived just one more day, he would have served as the New England Patriot's honorary captain in their 2014 NFL Playoffs game against the Indianapolis Colts.

After hearing the news of Sam's passing, Patriots owner Robert Kraft told press, "I loved Sam Berns and am richer for having known him."