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Dame Esther Rantzen dies at 86 leaving farewell letter urging friends to donate to Dignitas

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026 · last updated 2 October 2026.

Dame Esther Rantzen, who founded Childline in 1986 and championed the Assisted Dying Bill, died on Wednesday at her New Forest home, weeks after MPs narrowly rejected the legislation.
Dame Esther Rantzen, who founded Childline in 1986 and championed the Assisted Dying Bill, died on Wednesday at her New Forest home, weeks after MPs narrowly rejected the legislation.

Dame Esther Rantzen, who had been living with stage-four lung cancer for three years, passed away at her New Forest home on Wednesday at the age of 86, with her family at her side. A farewell letter she had prepared in advance was released publicly after her death; it closed with the words "with very good wishes, as ever, Esther." Her family described her as "our sunshine" with an "endless capacity for joy."

The pre-written letter urged friends to make donations in her memory to Dignitas, Oakhaven Hospice in Lymington, and Cats Protection.

Her health had deteriorated to the point where she was no longer physically strong enough to make the journey to Zurich for an assisted death; she had previously described England's law on assisted dying as "messy and cruel."

The Association of Jewish Refugees praised her "remarkable role" in bringing together Sir Nicholas Winton and the 669 children he had rescued from Nazi-occupied Prague, in a celebrated 1988 episode of That's Life!

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