According to the France Alzheimer association, MCI, which mainly affects older people, is the second leading cause of degenerative cognitive disorders after Alzheimer's. It is characterized by abnormal deposits of a protein that form inside brain cells and disrupt the messages transmitted by the brain.
This disease, for which there are currently no specific curative treatments, causes mood swings, hallucinations, and motor disorders. In France, nearly 250,000 people are estimated to be affected by this disease, with an average life expectancy of five to eight years after diagnosis.
American comedian Robin Williams suffered from it before committing suicide in 2014, as did former weather presenter Catherine Laborde who died in January 2025.
Read alsoLewy body disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's: amnesia, a disorder with multiple causes
Nathalie Baye has died at the age of 77.
Nathalie Baye, who died at the age of 77, was featured on the cover of L'Obs in 2023 for an open letter signed by 109 prominent figures calling on President Emmanuel Macron to make changes the law on end of life, debate still ongoing in Parliament.
"Every year, French men and women suffering from serious and incurable illnesses face physical and mental suffering that treatments can no longer alleviate," the signatories wrote, among other things.
"Life belongs to us. So does death."
“I don’t see the point in prolonging suffering […]. Life belongs to us. So does death. And if one day I find myself in that state, I would like, in the same way, for the charade of life to end. It’s over, that’s all.” Nathalie Baye added in an interview published by l'Obs on the occasion of this op-ed, in March 2023.
On April 18, 2026, Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, honorary president of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity (ADMD), paid tribute to one of the "More elegant and popular advocates for ultimate freedom!", praising the actress's commitment to the association's honorary committee.
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