Locked-in syndrome sufferer Tony Nicklinson died "peacefully at home" surrounded by his family, his solicitor has said. Mr Nicklinson, who lost a landmark High Court right-to-die action last week, suffered rapidly deteriorating health during the last few days after contracting pneumonia. Family solicitor Saimo Chahal said: "I am extremely sad to tell you that I received a call at 10.45am from Jane Nicklinson to inform me that her husband Tony died peacefully at home at about 10am this morning. Jane told me that Tony went rapidly downhill over last weekend, having contracted pneumonia. "He had made an advanced directive in 2004 refusing any life-sustaining treatment and also refused food from last week." Ms Chahal, of law firm Bindmans, added: "Jane said that, after Tony received the draft judgment on August 12 refusing his claim, the fight seemed to go out of him. He said that he was heartbroken by the High Court decision that he could not end his life at a time of his choosing with the help of a new doctor. "He could not understand how the legal argument on his behalf could not succeed." She said she visited Tony with his barrister Paul Bowen QC on Tuesday August 14. She said Tony told her: "So, we lost. In truth I am crestfallen, totally devastated and very frightened. I fear for the future and the misery it is bound to bring. "I suppose it was wrong of me to invest so much hope and expectation into the judgment but I really believed in the veracity of the argument and quite simply could not understand how anybody could disagree with the logic. I guess I forgot the emotional component." Tony died with his wife Jane, his daughters Beth and Lauren and his sister, Ginny, beside him. | 
