Jack Kevorkian aka Dr. Death Dies at 83 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 06-03-2011, 10:40 AM

Jack Kevorkian Dead: Assisted Suicide Advocate Dies At Age 83
The Huffington Post - Catherine Pearson
06/3/11

Jack Kevorkian, the controversial assisted suicide advocate, has died at a Detroit-area hospital at the age of 83.

Kevorkian's attorney and friend, Mayer Morganroth, told The Associated Press that he died early Friday morning at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where Kevorkian had been hospitalized for kidney and respiratory problems.

"He says nurses played classical music by Kevorkian's favorite, Johan Sebastian Bach, before he died," the AP reports.

An official cause of death is not yet known.

Kevorkian, a proponent of "right-to-die" legislation, earned the nickname "Doctor Death" after a string of assisted suicides in the 1990s.

He was released from a Michigan prison in 2007 after serving eight years of a 10 to 15-year sentence for second-degree murder. (Kevorkian was acquitted in three earlier trials; a fourth ended in a mistrial.)

In the 1999 case, Kevorkian administered a deadly combination of drugs to Thomas Youk, who was suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease, the devastating neurodegenerative disease that can lead to paralysis.

It was captured on video and broadcast on "60 Minutes".

"It's not necessarily murder," Kevorkian told Mike Wallace in an interview. "But it doesn't bother me what you call it. I know what it is."

In 1995 Kevorkian, who was trained as medical pathologist but stripped of his medical license, admitted to being present in at least 130 suicides of terminally ill patients between 1990 and 1999. He also developed a suicide machine, which according to WIRED, was essentially an automated drip hooked up to an IV needle that patients could personally trigger.

Kevorkian's attorney told the Detroit Free Press that he was present at the time of his death, as was his niece.

"It was peaceful," he told the paper. "He didn't feel a thing."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...1_lnk3%7C67909

AKA · 06-03-2011, 05:36 PM

Did anyone see last year's You Don't Know Jack (HBO biopic of Dr. Kevorkian starring Al Pacino)? I thought it was very well-done.

JamesG · 06-03-2011, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

Did anyone see last year's You Don't Know Jack (HBO biopic of Dr. Kevorkian starring Al Pacino)? I thought it was very well-done.

Yes, I loved it.

John Goodman was good in this too.

AKA · 06-03-2011, 05:52 PM

Agreed. Susan Sarandon was brilliant in it, as well. Stellar cast, all-around.

Janice · 06-03-2011, 10:05 PM

I didn't see the movie, but I will now. I think the good doctor got a bad deal. He wasn't a killer. He helped people with terminal illnesses die with dignity. He ended their pain. I have two medical problems that the main symptom is pain. Fibromyalgia and cervical spine disease (bad neck). I know raw, mind-numbing pain. The kind of pain that almost made me want to just say f this, I'm outta here.

What can only be described as God's intervention, my pain is now just run-of-the-mill lousy pain that I can deal with. My point is that before this happened to me, I was sort of on the fence about Dr. Kevorkian. I thought he was playing God, and he'd probably go to hell. Now I think that God doesn't want anyone to suffer needlessly. Until anyone's been in the grips of pain and being banged around like a rag doll, they can't imagine the feeling. It's no way to live. It's not even living.

Rest in Peace, Dr. Kervorkian.

catlover79 · 06-04-2011, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

Did anyone see last year's You Don't Know Jack (HBO biopic of Dr. Kevorkian starring Al Pacino)? I thought it was very well-done.

Never saw it. Is it on DVD?

AKA · 06-04-2011, 03:20 AM

I agree, Janice. I was more-or-less on the fence about him until I saw the movie. It opened my eyes to a lot of things, like the fact that he turned several patients down.

He was kind of a weird dude, but I feel he was an angel of mercy. God bless him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover79

Never saw it. Is it on DVD?

Yeah. HBO's pretty good about releasing their TV movies on DVD.

catlover79 · 06-04-2011, 03:22 AM

Thanks, Brad. I'll have to check it out one of these days.

JamesG · 06-04-2011, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKA

I agree, Janice. I was more-or-less on the fence about him until I saw the movie. It opened my eyes to a lot of things, like the fact that he turned several patients down.

Yeah, he turned down people who had treatable illnesses and the mentally disturbed.

You Don't Know Jack was very good. Pacino's Oscar was well-deserved.

MrCleveland · 06-04-2011, 07:04 PM

I dunno what to say about Dr. Kevorkian...

HuntingtonM15 · 06-04-2011, 09:23 PM

The movie was excellent, as was Pacino, even though his accent was a little over-the-top. He definitely deserved the Emmy, Globe, and SAG Award. The film itself and other cast members deserved awards as well, but ended up getting trumped by Temple Grandin.

Lee · 06-04-2011, 10:58 PM

The bible says that euthanasia is a sin, and I believe that. But I cannot
judge Dr. Kevorkian, only god can do that.

06-03-2011, 10:40 AM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,085	Jack Kevorkian aka Dr. Death Dies at 83 Jack Kevorkian Dead: Assisted Suicide Advocate Dies At Age 83 The Huffington Post - Catherine Pearson 06/3/11 Jack Kevorkian, the controversial assisted suicide advocate, has died at a Detroit-area hospital at the age of 83. Kevorkian's attorney and friend, Mayer Morganroth, told The Associated Press that he died early Friday morning at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where Kevorkian had been hospitalized for kidney and respiratory problems. "He says nurses played classical music by Kevorkian's favorite, Johan Sebastian Bach, before he died," the AP reports. An official cause of death is not yet known. Kevorkian, a proponent of "right-to-die" legislation, earned the nickname "Doctor Death" after a string of assisted suicides in the 1990s. He was released from a Michigan prison in 2007 after serving eight years of a 10 to 15-year sentence for second-degree murder. (Kevorkian was acquitted in three earlier trials; a fourth ended in a mistrial.) In the 1999 case, Kevorkian administered a deadly combination of drugs to Thomas Youk, who was suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease, the devastating neurodegenerative disease that can lead to paralysis. It was captured on video and broadcast on "60 Minutes". "It's not necessarily murder," Kevorkian told Mike Wallace in an interview. "But it doesn't bother me what you call it. I know what it is." In 1995 Kevorkian, who was trained as medical pathologist but stripped of his medical license, admitted to being present in at least 130 suicides of terminally ill patients between 1990 and 1999. He also developed a suicide machine, which according to WIRED, was essentially an automated drip hooked up to an IV needle that patients could personally trigger. Kevorkian's attorney told the Detroit Free Press that he was present at the time of his death, as was his niece. "It was peaceful," he told the paper. "He didn't feel a thing." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0...1_lnk3%7C67909 Attached Images

06-04-2011, 07:04 PM	#10
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,222	I dunno what to say about Dr. Kevorkian...
	__________________ Thank God for kids that love Obscure Things. Lee Hazlewood (1929-2007) You ARE Special to God! Rev. Ernest Angely (August 1921-May 2021)

06-03-2011, 05:36 PM	#2
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Did anyone see last year's You Don't Know Jack (HBO biopic of Dr. Kevorkian starring Al Pacino)? I thought it was very well-done.

06-03-2011, 05:52 PM	#4
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Agreed. Susan Sarandon was brilliant in it, as well. Stellar cast, all-around.

06-03-2011, 10:05 PM	#5
Janice Retired Admin - Hollywood Swingin' Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 03, 2001 Location: Beantown Posts: 36,388	I didn't see the movie, but I will now. I think the good doctor got a bad deal. He wasn't a killer. He helped people with terminal illnesses die with dignity. He ended their pain. I have two medical problems that the main symptom is pain. Fibromyalgia and cervical spine disease (bad neck). I know raw, mind-numbing pain. The kind of pain that almost made me want to just say f this, I'm outta here. What can only be described as God's intervention, my pain is now just run-of-the-mill lousy pain that I can deal with. My point is that before this happened to me, I was sort of on the fence about Dr. Kevorkian. I thought he was playing God, and he'd probably go to hell. Now I think that God doesn't want anyone to suffer needlessly. Until anyone's been in the grips of pain and being banged around like a rag doll, they can't imagine the feeling. It's no way to live. It's not even living. Rest in Peace, Dr. Kervorkian.

06-04-2011, 03:22 AM	#8
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376	Thanks, Brad. I'll have to check it out one of these days.

06-04-2011, 09:23 PM	#11
HuntingtonM15 That Bothers Me Moderator Forum Star Join Date: Jun 20, 2003 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 11,060	The movie was excellent, as was Pacino, even though his accent was a little over-the-top. He definitely deserved the Emmy, Globe, and SAG Award. The film itself and other cast members deserved awards as well, but ended up getting trumped by Temple Grandin.

06-04-2011, 10:58 PM	#12
Lee veteran member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: May 23, 2001 Location: Pulaski, Tennessee Posts: 4,766	The bible says that euthanasia is a sin, and I believe that. But I cannot judge Dr. Kevorkian, only god can do that.