Former Studio 54 Owner Planning Assisted Suicide Due to 'Mystery Illness'

06/25/2022 10:02 pm EDT

One of the former owners of New York's Studio 54 has revealed he's planning to end his own life in July. Mark Fleischman owned the iconic Manhattan club, but has been dealing with a mysterious illness since 2016. Now 82, Fleischman tells the New York Post that he's choosing to "end the party."

"I can't walk, my speech is f-ked up and I can't do anything for myself," the former club owner told the outlet. "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."

Fleischman currently lives in Marina Del Ray, California, but plans to travel to Switzerland to use the non-profit Dignitas company on July 13. According to The Guardian, over 1,000 people have traveled to the country to use the company's services. Dignitas was founded by Ludwig Minelli and his non-profit has assisted people to pass away since 1998.

The company outlines a very intricate process to make an appointment and arrive in Zurich to undergo the system, but it doesn't stop people from just showing up out of the blue either. But it isn't about those who want to die out of the blue, something Minelli has lamented, according to The Guardian.

To use Dignitas, you need to be a member and pay the annual fee of 80 Swiss francs, or around $60 in the U.S., then you need to send in copies of medical records, letters of intent and why your condition is "intolerable," and finally payment of around $2,000 dollars.

Swiss law allows assisted suicide, but not euthanasia, meaning the person who wants to take their life needs to take a part in the process. "[The] act of voluntarily drinking the drug, mixed with 60ml of water, and the subsequent death is videoed by the Dignitas companions, who stay behind to deal with the police and the undertakers in the hours that follow," The Guardian writes. "For those unable to lift the glass to their lips, there is a machine that will administer it, once they press a button."

Fleischman took over Studio 54 in 1978 after Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager ended up being charged with tax evasion, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy. The pair got 3 1/2 years in prison and were hit with $20k in fines. He purchased the club for $4.75 million and reopened it until selling in 1984, where it remained open for two more years before closing for good. As for why he has chosen to end his life, the club owner reveals how he came about the decision.

"I came to the decision slowly. Two years ago, I decided that it wasn't worth living. I took a lot of Xanax and ended up in the hospital," Fleischman explains. "I read a book about ending life. I read in there that the easiest way is to suffocate. But I did not want the pain. I was going to buy a gun. But my wife interceded. We started looking into a place where it would be legal to find someone to do it with."

While it is typically a tragic end to a life, Fleischman's decision is a growing one in the world when terminal illness is involved. Controversy is still strongly connected to the decision, but it's sobering to read a take from someone who plans that decision.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

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