Former Studio 54 owner Mark Fleischman has died by assisted suicide in Switzerland, his wife confirmed on Wednesday.
The 82-year-old had been suffering from a mysterious degenerative illness since 2016 that had recently confined him to a wheelchair.
In a Facebook post, Ms Fleischman said her husband of 27 years had “passed to his next adventure this morning”.
“He was very brave and the nurses said he had a unusually peaceful transition. I am happy he is free but will desperately miss my best friend, constant companion, adviser, supporter and mainly love,” she wrote, next to a photo from their wedding day.
“I am so grateful for our time together.
Last month, Mr Fleischman revealed his plans to travel to the non-profit Dignitas clinic near Zurich with Mimi to end his life.
He told the New York Post he was no longer do “anything for [himself]” and it is the “easiest way out”.
“I can’t walk, my speech is f**ked up and I can’t do anything for myself,” Mr Fleischman told the Post.
“My wife helps me get into bed and I can’t dress or put on my shoes. I am taking a gentle way out. It is the easiest way out for me.”
Neurologists had been unable to diagnose the illness, Mr Fleischman said.
“I came to the decision slowly,” he said. “Two years ago, I decided that it wasn’t worth living.”
Daniel Fitzgerald, who co-owned Century Club in Los Angeles with Mr Fleischmen, earlier confirmed to The Independent he ended his life at the Dignitas clinic on Wednesday.
“I got a text from (his wife) Mimi this morning to say that he passed away bravely,” he told The Independent.
“We didn’t realise how much pain he was in.”
Mr Fitzgerald told The Independent he held a “living wake” for his friend and partner on the 4th of July, and had hoped he might be able to convince him not to go.
“Everyone really had a good time, and we thought that he was going to stick around for a while, his brain was all there,” he said.
“We thought that he was going to postpone it for a month but then I guess he didn’t. He was very strong-minded.”
Assisted suicide is legal in 40 US states, but Mr Fleischman last month said he opted to go to Switzerland after trying to end his own life several times.
He paid around $15,000 for the procedure, which includes a lethal cocktail of barbituates, cremation, and the delivery of his ashes back to California to his wife Mimi.
A spokesman for Dignitas told The Independent it was unable to provide any details or confirm Mr Fleischman had attended the clinic due to confidentiality and data protection regulations.
Mr Fleischman purchased the legendary Hells Kitchen club in 1980, after the previous owners and co-founders Steve Rubbell and Ian Schrager went to prison for tax evasion.
He ran it for six years during its heyday as one of the world’s first super clubs, becoming friends with a coterie of A-list celebrities.
In his 2017 memoir Inside Studio 54, Mr Fleischman gave a candid account of how the “drugs, sex, and celebrity shenanigans” that made the club famous almost killed him.
From Keith Richards and David Bowie to Eddie Murphy and Madonna, the club had a reputation for attracting the most famous celebrities in the world, and a hedonistic, anything-goes vibe.
According to a 2018 documentary by filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer, Andy Warhol, Grace Jones, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Al Pacino and Jackie Kennedy Onassis were all regulars.
The documentary introduced a new generation to the club where the broke and marginalised could rub shoulders with the rich and famous, with the ethos being that money didn’t matter but personality, outlook, style and - above all - enthusiasm for life did.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
