The first known person to be cured of HIV dies

The first person cured of HIV, Timothy Ray Brown has died from cancer.

(KYMA, KECY) - The first known person to be cured of HIV dies after a five-month battle with leukemia.

CNN reports Timothy Ray Brown, also knows as "the Berlin patient," has died at the age of 54.

Brown was cured of his HIV infection in 2008.

Brown received a bone marrow transplant in Berlin, Germany, to treat a separate disease he had been diagnosed with, acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Sources say the bone marrow Brown received came from a donor whose genes had a rare mutation that made the donor resistant HIV.

According to the International AIDS Society, Brown remained HIV free but had living with leukemia that had entered his spine and brine for the past six months.

Brown "committed his life's work to tell his story about his HIV cure and became an ambassador of hope," his partner wrote.

"I am truly blessed that we shared a life together but I'm heartbroken that my hero is now gone," he said. "Tim was truly the sweetest person in the world. Tim's spirit will live on and the love and support from family and friends will help me through this most difficult time."