'Brave and courageous' right-to-die campaigner suffering from multiple sclerosis dies in her sleep at home in Ireland Marie Fleming, 59, has died in her home in County Wicklow, ireland Marie and her partner lost a highly publicised right-to-die case this year Her partner Tom Curran, 62, said the death was unexpected An Irish woman at the centre of a right-to-die campaign has passed away, her partner has said. Marie Fleming, 59, had multiple sclerosis, a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and had been paralysed for several years. Her partner Tom Curran, 65, has long campaigned to be able to help her commit suicide, and lost a highly publicised court battle earlier this year. Euthanasia campaigner: Marie Fleming, 59, had multiple sclerosis, a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and had been paralysed for several years Mr Curran said Ms Fleming, a mother-of-three, died early Friday morning at home in Arklow, County Wicklow and that he had not been expecting her death. â€˜She was at home. That was her wish,â€™ said her partner of almost 20 years. In April this year, Ireland's Supreme Court ruled that nothing in the country's 1937 constitution could authorize the deliberate taking of a life on humanitarian grounds. It said lawmakers could pass such a law to permit Ms Fleming to die at a time of her choosing, but no such statute existed yet. Fleming, a former University College Dublin lecturer, testified during the trial that her life had been reduced to untreatable agony and she feared choking to death because she couldn't swallow. Mr Curran, an advocate for The Carers Association and a founding member of Right to Die Ireland, faced 14 years in prison if he had helped his partner to die. Former lecturer Marie and her partner Tom Curran, 65, from Arklow, County Wicklow, lost a highly publicised court case earlier this year over her right to die Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore said his thoughts were with Mr Curran and with her children Corrinna and Simon. â€˜Marie's campaign on issues around the right to die was both brave and courageous,â€™ said the Labour Party leader. â€˜And while pursuing her campaign - at both political and legal levels - was always going to be a challenge, her deeply-held conviction meant it was one she was never going to back away from. â€˜Marie successfully highlighted the complex issues that affect people who find themselves in a situation like hers, and the fact that her case has kick-started a national debate on these matters will be her lasting legacy.â€™ Independent TD John Halligan, who led the couple's battle in the Irish Parliament, said Ms Fleming died at 5.30am. â€˜They are both very brave and loving people who cared for and loved each other deeply,â€™ he said. â€˜She was a very intelligent and articulate person. Her health had been getting progressively worse in the last few weeks. Tom had hopes she would make it through Christmas, but it wasn't to be. â€˜He knew this was inevitable, but it was still a shock. He is devastated.â€™ He added that Mr Curran plans to continue his fight to change the law on assisted suicide in the new year. â€˜We are hoping to have a meeting with barristers, TDs and senators and take it from there,â€™ he added. Sinn Fein's Caoimhghin O Caolain said Ms Fleming's ordeal touched the hearts of people across Ireland and beyond. â€˜Her courage and that of her partner won widespread admiration,â€™ he said. â€˜We owe it to her memory to approach with compassion and realism the debate on the issue of assisted suicide, conscious always of those who suffer such painful ordeals as that endured by Marie.â€™ Billy Kelleher, Fianna Fail health spokesman, said he was saddened to learn of Ms Fleming's death. â€˜I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Marie Fleming's partner Tom Curran, her family and friends,â€™ he said. â€˜Marie Fleming battled her illness with fortitude and great dignity. Her campaign brought important issues into the public domain and she, along with her partner Tom, displayed huge courage throughout.â€™