Conductor Edward Downes and his wife Joan, a former ballet dancer, died together at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland last Friday, aged 85 and 74 respectively, it has been revealed. Joan had become "very ill" and Edward was becoming blind and deaf, as well as suffering other ailments.
Edward Downes' manager Jonathan Groves told The Independent: "It was a shock to all his friends and colleagues because it was something he and Joan planned very much within their family. None of us were aware this was going to happen until after they had died. It was very typical of the way he lived his life. I do not think there is anyone anywhere who has lived his life with more self-determination than Ted did. The decision that he and Joan made to end their lives in the way they did was a very typically brave and courageous decision. They were absolutely devoted to each other".
Their son and daughter, Caractacus and Boudicca, said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our parents Edward and Joan Downes on Friday 10 Jul. After 54 happy years together, they decided to end their own lives rather than continue to struggle with serious health problems. They died peacefully and under circumstances of their own choosing, with the help of the Swiss organisation Dignitas, in Zurich".
They continued: "Our father, who was 85 years old, almost blind and increasingly deaf, had a long, vigorous and distinguished career as a conductor. 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. They both lived life to the full and considered themselves to be extremely lucky to have lived such rewarding lives, both professionally and personally".