Barbara Barrie's daughter shares star's last words during medically assisted suicide - USA Today
Barbara Barrie's daughter is sharing the last thing her mother said before her medical aid in dying.
The Oscar-nominated "Breaking Away" star's death at 95 was "medically assisted in accordance with the New York State Medical Aid in Dying law, of which she was a proponent and advocate," her agent, Gary Gersh, confirmed to USA TODAY on Oct. 28.
In an Oct. 29 interview with Page Six, her daughter Jane Harnick recounted Barrie's last moments, saying, "As she was falling asleep, we all just said, 'We love you.' And she said, 'I love you too.' And those were her last words."
The "Suddenly Susan" actress was surrounded by loved ones throughout the procedure in her New York City home, including her husband, Adam Freifeld, and her brother, Aaron Harnick, the New York Times reported, citing Jane Harnick.
"For years and years her whole life before she was ever sick with any illness, she always used to say, 'When my time comes, I just want to take something and go to sleep,'" Jane Harnick told Page Six. "She just really believed that that was a human right."
Barrie received an Oscar nomination for her role in 1979's "Breaking Away" and several Emmy nominations for roles in the one-season ABC show "Breaking Away" – based on the original movie – as well as her single-episode guest appearances in "Law and Order" and "Law & Order: SVU."
She also scored a Tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical as the original Sarah in Stephen Sondheim's Broadway musical "Company."
Barrie died after receiving medical aid in dying following a terminal cancer diagnosis, according to The New York Times.
She previously shared that she battled idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic, incurable lung disease, Playbill reported in September 2014.
"I have a very full, active life, but what lies ahead is unknown and yet known at the same time," she said in a statement at the time. "I am living full steam ahead and am now trying to help other people do the same."
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis develops when the tissue surrounding the lungs' air sacs thickens and becomes stiff, causing permanent scarring that makes breathing increasingly difficult.
Occasional chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint and gradual weight loss are among the symptoms, the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus states.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law in February, allowing eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to request medication prescribed by a physician to end their lives, subject to safeguards and eligibility requirements.
