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Florian Willet

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Florian Willet
Born(1977-08-03)3 August 1977
Heidelberg, Germany
Died5 May 2025(2025-05-05) (aged 47)
Cologne, Germany

Florian Willet (3 August 1977 – 5 May 2025) was a German author and pro-euthanasia activist.[1][2]

Biography

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Willet was born in Heidelberg on 3 August 1977. His father was an architect.[3]

Willet's father committed suicide when he was 14. Willet recalled being "surprised" when others told him his father had committed a "selfish" act, saying that although he was sad about his father's death, he did not think that his father had been sad.[4]

Willet initially worked in asset management, before pursuing a career in science. He worked as a communication psychologist, legal scholar and economist. As a university lecturer and academic consultant; Willet focused on behavioral economics, legal philosophy and anthropology, with an interest in cognitive and statistical biases in opinion and judgement formation processes.[5]

Willet lived in Switzerland.[6] He was a spokesperson for Dignitas, and later the president of The Last Resort,[6] an organization which provides assisted suicide.[4] He was a member of Mensa.[4]

Willet was arrested on September 23, 2024. He was accused of helping an American woman commit suicide with a Sarco pod in Merishausen, Schaffhausen, Switzerland earlier that day.[1][7][4] Although assisted suicide is legal in the country, it is strictly regulated.[1][7] The woman had been using a device called a "suicide pod", produced by the company Sarco.[1][7] Willet was held in pretrial detention for 70 days,[1] some of which was spent in solitary confinement,[4] before being released in December 2024.[8]

In January 2025, he attempted to commit suicide at his home in Zurich, resulting in him getting hospitalized for psychiatric treatment.[9]

Willet died in Cologne on 5 May 2025, at the age of 47.[10] According to the inventor of the Sarco pod, Philip Nitschke, Willet died by assisted suicide. Nitschke further added that Willet had been traumatized by his 2024 detention.[1] The criminal case against him was dropped after his death.[11]

Publications

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  • Deutschlands Frauen schaffen ihre Männer ab: Florian Willet erklärt weiblichen Chauvinismus, Ludwig, 2011, ISBN 978-1-52032-927-7.
  • Florian Willet denkt nach über Hirnforschung, Evolution und Ökologie: Neuropsychologie und Verhaltensökonomie, Ludwig, 2011, ISBN 978-3-86935-200-8.
  • Der Soziale Schwan: wo Kahneman, Taleb und Darwin auf Marx stossen, Ludwig, 2017, ISBN 978-1-52032-923-9.
  • Mir nach, ich folge Euch!: Wie uns die Parteien über den Tisch ziehen, Solibro [de], 2018, ISBN 978-3-96079-045-7.
  • Wie die Parteien uns über den Tisch ziehen, Solibro, 2021, ISBN 978-3-96079-084-6.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Kupemba, Danai Nesta (3 June 2025). "Euthanasia activist arrested over 'suicide pod' dies". BBC News. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  2. ^ Watkins, Ali (5 June 2025). "Euthanasia Advocate Who Assisted in Woman's Suicide Dies in Germany". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  3. ^ Nitschke, Philip (1 June 2025). "Remembering Florian Willet – Obituary". Exit International. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Effting, Maud; Kraak, Haro; Verwiel, Erik (26 October 2024). "The mists surrounding the Sarco". De Volkskrant. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Florian Willet". Solibro Verlag [de] (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b Sage, Adam (29 October 2024). "Suicide pod boss detained amid 'strangulation mark' claims". The Times. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Arrests after Sarco 'suicide pod' used in Switzerland". BBC News. 24 September 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Swiss authorities release right-to-die activist after ruling out homicide in 'suicide capsule' case". AP News. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
  9. ^ Schuler, Edgar (3 June 2025). "Vom Sterbehelfer zum psychisch Kranken: So waren die letzten Monate von Sarco-Chef Florian Willet". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Dr Florian Willet: Euthanasia advocate dies after being arrested over woman's 'suicide capsule' death". Sky News. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  11. ^ Effting, Maud; Kraak, Haro (2 June 2025). "Directeur zelfdodingscapsule Sarco overlijdt door zelfdoding na 'gewetenloze' detentie". De Volkskrant. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
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