TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Retired sports news anchor Frank Fu (傅達仁) passed away at the age of 85 in Switzerland Thursday through accompanied suicide.

After being diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer last year, he joined the Swiss organization “Dignitas” and planned his euthanasia for months. After a first visit to the group last November, he postponed a decision to spend more time with his son, and later waited until after the young man’s wedding.

Fu returned to Switzerland on May 30 and arrived at the Dignitas site in Zurich accompanied by five relatives and friends Thursday morning local time, the Apple Daily reported.

Later, his wife emerged to tell reporters that at 6:58 p.m. Taiwan time, “Frank Fu no longer breathed and his heart no longer beat, he has left this world,” the newspaper quoted her.

Fu was born in China in 1933 and arrived in Taiwan 15 years later after both his parents had died. He became a basketball champion and later a sports commentator on TV, mostly for basketball and baseball games.

Over the past few years, he campaigned for the legalization of euthanasia, but while steps have been taken in that direction, it did not come on time to help Fu, who reportedly spent NT$3 million (US$100,500) of his savings on the procedure.