Face of Indonesia disaster relief efforts dies at 49

He told Indonesian news site Kumparan in 2017 that he grew up in a poor family and was bullied at school for being shoeless and stupid. He said that he was an average student at university, where he studied geography, but that due to perseverance and diligence he earned a doctorate.

In a tweet in May, Nugroho likened the relentless spread of cancer throughout his body to the dispersal of ash from Bali's frequently erupting Mount Agung volcano.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.