The brother of former Channel Nine reporter Hayley Webb has died from a rare brain disease.
Lachlan Webb, who is the younger brother of the ex-television presenter, passed away on Thursday aged 36.
Mr Webb spent most of his life battling Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), which is a rare and incurable brain disease, that also affects his sister.
Mr Webb leaves behind his wife Claire and his son Morrison.
Nine’s Today show paid tribute to the father and loving husband on the program on Thursday morning.
‘I want to take a moment to remember Lachlan Webb, who has passed away at the age of 36,’ presenter Karl Stevanovic said.
‘You might remember we brought you his story last year, Lachlan. A remarkable man battling an unimaginable curse.
‘So I met him, along with his beautiful sister, Hayley, and was so touched by their bond. Everyone here at today is thinking of the Webb family.’
Hayley Webb previously revealed that she has already lost five members of her family to the disease including her mother Narelle, an aunty, a grandmother and two uncles.
Lachlan Webb (pictured centre with his wife Claire and son Morrison) who is the younger brother of former Channel Nine reporter Hayley Webb, has died after a battle with a rare brain disease
Nine’s Today show (pictured) paid tribute to the father and loving husband on the program on Thursday morning
In a media interview last month, Hayley revealed the disease had ‘triggered’ in Lachlan much earlier than anyone had expected and that he was left with six months to live.
She said it put things in perspective for her and her family.
‘It’s just, like, been such a stark reality check that it’s not a guarantee that we’re gonna get to 60, it’s not a guarantee we’ll make it to 50,’ Hayley told the Courier Mail.
‘I’ve got a three-and-a-half year-old and a baby on the way, who I desperately want to see grow up.’
The siblings were first diagnosed with FFI in 2015. Their mother died from the disease aged 61.
Hayley revealed during the interview with the newspaper that when the disease triggered in her brother, it felt like their ‘worst nightmare’.
‘We just couldn’t believe that it has struck so early,’ she said.
FFI was activated much later in life for her other family members although one of her uncles died from the disease aged just 20 in the 1970s.
Hayley had previously set up a GoFundMe page to help support her ailing brother.
The disease also affects Hayley (pictured right with her brother Lachlan) and her family members. She spoke out about her brother’s health battle last month
The young father was forced to bring his wedding with his partner Claire forward due to the condition triggering.
Hayley also revealed that Lachlan had been wheelchair bound and experienced symptoms including memory loss and his deteriorating eyesight.
Hayley worked as a television news reporter for several years after she began her career with regional broadcaster WIN in 2011 according to her LinkedIn page.
She worked at WIN for three years before she joined the Nine Network in 2014.
Hayley revealed that Lachlan (pictured) had been wheelchair bound and experienced several symptoms including memory loss and deteriorating eyesight
According to the National Institute of Health, FFI is a very rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease that is caused by a mutation of the prion protein (PRNP) gene.
Some of the major signs of the disease include aggressive progressive insomnia as well as cognitive disturbances.
Problems in maintaining balance and endocrine dysfunctions are some of the other major symptoms that patients experience.
