Robert Munsch, the beloved Canadian children’s author who has sold more than 82 million books worldwide, has been approved for medical assistance in dying (MAID) as he lives with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Munsch, who lives in Guelph, Ont., he doesn’t want to linger like his brother, who died slowly from Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought, ‘Let him die,’” Munsch, 80, said. He thinks he’ll choose to go “when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I’ll know.”
He said a date has not been set yet, but he has to choose while he can still actively consent.
Andrea Perrin, Munsch’s assistant, confirmed the report to the Star and said Munsch would not comment further.
In , Munsch’s daughter Julie clarified that her father is “not dying.”
She added that her father made his decision to pursue MAID five years ago: “My dad is doing well but of course with a degenerative disease it can begin to progress quickly at any point.”
Munsch’s work includes bestsellers like “Love You Forever,” “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Mortimer.” His books have been published in 31 territories and 45 languages, according to Scholastic Canada, and he received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2009. He is also a member of the Order of Canada.
‘The Paper Bag Princess,’ Robert Munsch’s 1980 dragon tale, has been used as a springboard to
Munsch and his wife, Ann, told the New York Times he has been falling around the house. He no longer has the ability to come up with new stories. He has trouble finding words and forgets that friends have visited.
“Most days,” he said, “I don’t have the urge to go tell stories.”
Munsch suffered a stroke in 2008 that left him unable to speak for two days, but he maintained his goal of publishing two books a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. In 2010, he said he had a history of cocaine and alcohol abuse.
Munsch revealed to the CBC in 2021 that he had dementia.
“I can’t drive, I can’t ride a bicycle, I can’t write,” he told CBC then. “So it’s been really whittling away on who I thought I was. I kind of thought I would like to do this interview as a last hurrah.”
In a on Monday, Scholastic Canada said it joins readers in “gratitude for this chance to connect with (Munsch) in a new way.”
“His stories will live on for generations,” the company said. “We love you forever.”
With files from Kevin Jiang
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation