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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ramon Antonio Vargas

US man on ‘Dying to Serve’ tour dies after cancer fundraising hoax accusations

United States David Farrier Cancer GoFundMe New Zealand Reddit Auckland
a man smiling
Doug Ruch. Photograph: Courtesy of Doug Ruch

A US man who spoke to various media outlets about having terminal cancer and raising money to travel for community service projects died shortly before Christmas in New Zealand – the day after an article by a journalist there accused him of actually being “an alleged serial conman”.

Authorities in the US and New Zealand recently confirmed Douglas Lee “Doug” Ruch, 56, died in the city of Auckland on 18 December, months after his so-called “Dying to Serve” tour. The hundreds of thousands of dollars he raised on GoFundMe earned headlines from the Washington Post, National Public Radio, NBC News and the Guardian.

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