Writer Simon Roy died Saturday afternoon at the age of 54.
Simon Roy requested medical assistance in dying after battling brain cancer in recent years. His death was announced by his spouse and the Éditions du Boréal on Saturday evening. “In the last few days, Simon’s state of health has deteriorated a lot, his spouse Marianne Marquis-Gravel published on Facebook on Saturday evening. He left us this afternoon at 3 p.m. at home, gently and with total acceptance. He had been ready for days, but he wanted to be present at my birthday. Simon pure and hard, until the last breath. He even made jokes until the last seconds.
She also shared a message dictated by the writer before his death.
“This afternoon, Doctor Daigle and Nurse Desbiens will come to the house to perform medical assistance in dying. I will share a last meal with Marianne and my children, drink a last cup of wine to the life I have led and listen, before taking my last breath, to a song that is dear to me. During these last minutes, the children will put a hand on my cheeks and Marianne will snuggle her head against my heart. I hope to be fully conscious, with my eyes wide open so that I can look at them one last time and smile wide at them. Before leaving, the beautiful moments of my life will certainly scroll through my head, then I will close my eyes gently, serenely, happy with this life that has given me so much. I hope to see you again one day if possible, who knows? Now let’s see if there’s something waiting for us on the other side…”
“Simon Roy made a sensational entry into literature with Ma vie rouge Kubrick, published in 2014, recalled via press release the Éditions du Boréal. Winner of the Prix des libraires the following year, this book already contained all the themes that were to haunt the work of the novelist.
“There is no doubt that the work he leaves us, marked by a profound originality, will have forced us to recognize that stories, inextricably mixing reality and lies, constitute the very substance of our lives.”
Simon Roy was also a professor of literature at Cégep Lionel-Groulx, sharing his passion for books with many students who today lead careers as writers or who work in the field of publishing.
He is survived by his partner, Marianne Marquis-Gravel, and his children, Romane and Colin.