Esther Rantzen, British presenter and assisted dying campaigner, dies aged 86

British television star Esther Rantzen, committed to numerous causes including in favor of assisted dying after her diagnosis with terminal cancer, died Wednesday at the age of 86, her family announced. Her loved ones paid tribute Wednesday in a press release to “the most wonderful mother” and a “darling grandmother”, endowed with an “infinite capacity for joy”.

This journalist had helped to relaunch the debate on assisted dying in recent years in the United Kingdom. Suffering from terminal lung cancer, she implored Parliament until the end to adopt a law on this subject, which ended in failure during a final vote in September. Esther Rantzen “changed countless lives and gave voice to people who, very often, were not heard,” praised Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

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A use of assisted suicide considered

The former presenter said she was considering going to Switzerland to resort to assisted suicide thanks to the Dignitas association, and thus ensure a “good death”. But she revealed a few weeks ago that it was too late for her to undertake this trip abroad, having become “too physically fragile”.

Esther Rantzen became a familiar face to Britons in the 1970s presenting the BBC's 'That's Life!', a hugely popular program which at its peak attracted between 15 and 20 million viewers. Mixing investigations and more unusual subjects, it was broadcast for 21 seasons between 1973 and 1994.