ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Mattie Stepanek, the child poet whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer and a prominent advocate for muscular dystrophy, died Tuesday from complications of the disease. He was 13.
Mattie died at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, the hospital said.
"Mattie was something special, something very special," Muscular Dystrophy Association National Chairman Jerry Lewis said in a statement. "His example made people want to reach for the best within themselves. It was easy to forget how sick he was because his megawatt personality just made you want to smile."