Timothy Ray Brown, the first person in the world who was cured of HIV, has passed away after experiencing a relapse of his cancer.

First patient cured of HIV passes away from leukaemia

Brown, 54, was known as the "Berlin Patient" after he was completely cured of HIV after being treated in Berlin in 2007.

His partner, Tim Hoeffgen broke the news in a post on Facebook, reported Reuters.

"It is with great sadness that I announce that Timothy passed away ... this afternoon surrounded by myself and friends, after a 5 month battle with leukaemia," Hoeffgen wrote.

First person in the world to be cured of HIV

Brown was diagnosed with a HIV infection in 1995 when he was studying in Berlin, and was found with leukaemia in 2006, a cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow, reported LA Times via AP News.

According to Reuters, in 2007, his doctor, Gero Huetter, made a radical attempt in treatment for Brown -- a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation known to be HIV-resistant.

While the treatment was risky as it was untested, it managed to cure Brown of HIV and he recovered from his cancer as well.

He became a beacon of hope for the medical field, proving that HIV could be cured.

After he was cured, Brown helped medical specialists with researching towards a cure, said Steven Deeks, an AIDS specialist at UC San Francisco who worked with Brown before.

"We took pieces of his gut, we took pieces of his lymph nodes. Every time he was asked to do something, he showed up with amazing grace," Deeks said.

Experienced cancer relapse, terminally ill

However, it was revealed earlier this month that his cancer had returned, and he was already terminally ill.

Before he passed away on Sep. 29, 2020, Brown was living in hospice care in Palm Springs, California.

He remained HIV-free since the treatment till his death.

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Top image via Caroline Reid/Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation