{"id":432,"date":"2009-07-14T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-14T08:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/deaconsbench\/2009\/07\/famed-conductor-and-wife-die-at-swiss-suicide-clinic.html"},"modified":"2009-07-14T08:23:00","modified_gmt":"2009-07-14T08:23:00","slug":"famed-conductor-and-wife-die-at-swiss-suicide-clinic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/07\/famed-conductor-and-wife-die-at-swiss-suicide-clinic.html","title":{"rendered":"Famed conductor and wife die at Swiss suicide clinic"},"content":{"rendered":"

How long until we start seeing more obituaries like this<\/a> on a daily basis? <\/p>\n

Read on, from the BBC: <\/p>\n

<\/a>Renowned British conductor Sir Edward Thomas Downes, CBE, has died at the age of 85, after travelling to the assisted suicide clinic Dignitas with his wife.<\/p>\n

He and his 74-year-old wife Joan, who was terminally ill, chose to end their lives at the Swiss clinic, their family said in a statement.<\/p>\n

According to the statement, the couple “died peacefully, and under circumstances of their own choosing”.<\/p>\n

Sir Edward had a 40-year relationship with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.<\/p>\n

“Our father, who was 85 years old, almost blind and increasingly deaf, had a long, vigorous and distinguished career as a conductor,” his family said.<\/p>\n

“Our mother, who was 74, started her career as a ballet dancer and subsequently worked as a choreographer and TV producer, before dedicating the last years of her life to working as our father’s personal assistant.<\/p>\n

“They both lived life to the full and considered themselves to be extremely lucky to have lived such rewarding lives, both professionally and personally.<\/p>\n

“After 54 happy years together, they decided to end their own lives rather than continue to struggle with serious health problems.”<\/p>\n

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said their deaths were being investigated by Greenwich CID.<\/p>\n

“It was reported to police on Monday, July 13, that a man and woman from SE3 had died in Switzerland,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We continue to investigate the circumstances of their deaths. No further details at this stage.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can read more about his extraordinary life, and death, at the link.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How long until we start seeing more obituaries like this on a daily basis? Read on, from the BBC: Renowned British conductor Sir Edward Thomas Downes, CBE, has died at the age of 85, after travelling to the assisted suicide clinic Dignitas with his wife. He and his 74-year-old wife Joan, who was terminally ill,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ripped-from-the-headlines"],"yoast_head":"\nFamed conductor and wife die at Swiss suicide clinic - The Deacon's Bench<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/deaconsbench\/2009\/07\/famed-conductor-and-wife-die-at-swiss-suicide-clinic.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Famed conductor and wife die at Swiss suicide clinic - The Deacon's Bench\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How long until we start seeing more obituaries like this on a daily basis? 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