The man known as the leader of the notoriously hateful Westboro Baptist Church has passed away at the age of 84.

Fred Phelps, who first became known as a civil rights lawyer several decades ago before gaining a reputation as a homophobic pastor, became a household name in recent years as his church controversially protested the funerals of American soldiers and at other events. According to the church's website, the group has held protests at least 53,000 events.

Phelps and his church even went as far as protesting the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a gay teenager in Wyoming who was beaten to death in 1998 just because of his sexual orientation.

The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center both have called the Westboro Baptist Church a hate group. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both signed laws that ban groups from protesting too close to funerals. The White House even called the group's actions "reprehensible" but did not recognize it as official hate groups because the government said they do not keep lists of hate groups.

There has been some confusion as to whether or not Phelps was ex-communicated from the church in the time leading up to his death. His son, Nathan, indicated in a recent post on social media that his father was indeed excommunicated, but church officials refused to comment because they said internal church issues are private.

Considering that nobody denied Phelps' excommunication, many have been led to believe that there may have been some internal conflict within the church as of late.

What do you think about the news of Phelps's death? Will it change the way the church operates or do you think they will still continue with their protests? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.