Inspirational cancer charity fundraiser Stephen Sutton, 19, died peacefully in his sleep this morning, his mother said on his Facebook page today.

Nearly 50,000 comments were left on the Facebook post, below, in just 20 minutes.

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Stephen, who was only 19 and was diagnosed with inoperable bowel cancer four years ago, raised over £3.2m for the Teenage Cancer Trust after news of his campaign spread across social media.

He set out to raise £10,000 for charity, but eclipsed all his targets after his positive attitude attracted attention and admiration from millions across the world.

Stephen, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, was readmitted to hospital on Sunday after developing breathing difficulties caused by the re-growth of tumours.