Dave Rowntree, the drummer for Blur, was left a significant sum in his ex-wife's will after she travelled alone to end her life. Paola Marra, who was married to the Britpop star from 1994 until their divorce in the early 2000s, was terminally ill. Despite their marriage ending, Dave was among those who supported his former wife following her diagnosis of terminal bowel cancer and her subsequent decision to end her life at Dignitas in Zurich, Switzerland.

After enduring multiple rounds of gruelling treatment and surgeries, Paola chose to make the solitary journey to Dignitas in March last year. Aware that her cancer was terminal, she didn't want to face the likelihood of a painful death, a prospect made even more daunting by her allergy to painkillers. Countries like New Zealand, Switzerland, and Australia permit terminally ill adults to end their lives on their own terms. Paola bequeathed nearly £1million from her will to her two brothers and two sisters.

Her estate, worth £941,000, also included a £50,000 legacy for her ex-husband Dave and £4,000 each for four charities. She left an additional £10,000 to a friend for taking care of her pets, as reported by The Sun. Following Paola's passing, Dave expressed his frustration with current laws that force some terminally ill individuals into the 'brutal' position of wanting to end their lives but being legally unable to seek assistance from others.

Six months after his ex-wife's death at Dignitas in Switzerland, the musician has branded the UK's current assisted dying laws as 'psychopathic', criticising them for showing "absolutely no empathy for the sufferer". The public, alongside high-profile figures like Dame Esther Rantzen, are urging the government to emulate countries such as New Zealand, Switzerland, and Australia by allowing terminally ill adults to choose when to end their lives.

In a heartfelt interview, Dave condemned the existing legal stance on assisted dying: "It is the system washing its hands of difficult problems in a way that I can't stomach. That's the whole point of the state. The state can declare war.." He continued with a strong critique: "And if the state isn't going to take these kind of difficult decisions, what the f**k is the point in having the state? This is psychopathic, where we are now, because the whole point of this [should be] to try to make things easier for the real victim in this – the terminally ill person."

The drummer, who also mourned the loss of his father to bowel cancer last year, shared with The Guardian his initial attempts to dissuade his ex-wife from her journey to Switzerland, hoping instead for a peaceful passing at home in London. Despite his efforts, when she resolved to proceed with Dignitas, he expressed his willingness to accompany her but was hindered by the risk of prosecution for assisting suicide under the UK's current legislation.

Heartbreakingly, Paola had a change of heart and implored Dave to join her in Zurich after she arrived. The musician recounted how his former partner expressed her doubts, saying, "I don't know if I can do this on my own," prompting him to immediately look for flights. However, she called again, this time insisting he should not come, and tragically, she passed away alone the next morning.

Dave reflected on the harsh reality that anyone suspected of aiding a loved one in ending their life faces up to 14 years in prison, lamenting: "It's utterly brutal for the ill person because anyone they tell is potentially at risk of arrest, so they have to creep around like a criminal." In the aftermath of her passing, Paola left a poignant video message, pleading with lawmakers to amend the UK's "cruel law" against assisted dying.

In a video released posthumously, she declared: "When you watch this, I will be dead. I'm choosing to seek assisted dying because I refuse to let a terminal illness dictate the terms of my existence. The pain and suffering can become unbearable. It's a slow erosion of dignity, the loss of independence, the stripping away of everything that makes life worth living.

"Assisted dying is not about giving up. In fact, it's about reclaiming control. It's not about death, it's about dignity. It's about giving people the right to end their suffering on their own terms, with compassion and respect. So, as you watch this, I am dead. But you watching this could help change the laws around assisted dying."