An NYPD cop whose dancing at the Pride Parade on duty in uniform went viral in 2015 has died of 9/11-related brain cancer.
Michael Hance, 44, worked in the area of the World Trade Center after the terror attack. He was a 17-year veteran of the NYPD, according to the New York Daily News. Since 2008, he was stationed at the 111th Precinct in Bayside, Queens.
Hange was diagnosed with brain cancer in November after becoming dizzy and falling in front of his home. The cancer then spread to his lungs, liver, and chest, the newspaper reported.
"He always liked to help people," his brother told the Daily News. "He always liked to do good."
Hance got his GED, then a degree in mental health services before joining the NYPD.
A video of Hance dancing with parade-goer Aaron Santis during 2015's Gay Pride Parade went viral and has been viewed more than 7 million times on YouTube. Hance was not gay, but got into the spirit of the event anyway, twerking with Santis to Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop ‘Til You Get Enough."
After the dance, Santis smooched Hance's cheek and gave him a sticker from the Big Apple Softball League that said, "I'd hit that!" the Daily News reported.
On a fundraising page for Hance's medical expenses, the Gay Officers Action League said Hance "represented the true spirit of the police family," CBS reported.
Twitter users expressed their condolences by the hundreds:
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