Tony Nicklinson told widow: ‘I’m already dead - don’t mourn for me’

THE widow of Tony Nicklinson has paid tribute to her husband, saying she hopes his campaign to change the law on assisted dying will continue.

• Tony Nicklinson, who suffered from locked-in syndrome, died last week

• Widow calls for someone to carry on the campaign to change law

He had been an active sportsman until he had a stroke in 2005 that left him paralysed.

Shortly before his death last Wednesday, he lost a landmark High Court right-to-die action. He had been refusing food in the days leading up to his death.

Jane Nicklinson, who, along with daughters Lauren and Beth, had backed her husband’s legal bid, echoed other right-to-die campaigners’ calls for Mr Nicklinson’s memory to live on through a continued battle to change the law, which had prevented doctors from ending his life.

Mrs Nicklinson said: “This is certainly not the end of the campaign. I do hope that someone takes it up.

“Even though we didn’t win (the legal case), all the hard work for the case has been done. I hope at some point someone will come forward and carry on with what Tony started.

“I think we always knew the chances of winning at this stage were slim - possible but slim - and we’d never been told anything different so we were prepared for it.”

Mrs Nicklinson said the family knew the result of the High Court ruling days before it was made public - something which “knocked him for six”, his widow said.

“I think he had raised his hopes so much - probably out of proportion. He said he hadn’t been prepared for the emotional side of it for him and he was absolutely devastated,” she added.

“I don’t think he would have wanted to keep going for too much longer. One of the last things he said to me was ‘I’m already dead - don’t mourn for me’.

“And it’s true, we did. I think in some respects, seven years ago was harder than this because we did lose the old Tony.”