France, June 15 -- Terminally ill French activist Alain Cocq, who campaigned for his right to euthanasia, died on Tuesday by assisted suicide in Switzerland.

The 58-year-old from Dijon had been suffering from a rare incurable disease that causes the walls of the arteries stick together.

In an open letter to parliament and to President Emmanuel Macron, who had denied his request for an assisted death, Cocq said: "I would like to inform you of my death with dignity".

Relatives told AFP that Cocq's passing -shortly before noon -was "peaceful" and happened "very quickly" after he was given a pill.

Cocq had staged two hunger strikes in 2020 -also twice putting a stop to his medical care before intolerable pain forced him to resume.

An att...