Barbara Barrie’s Daughter Shares Heartbreaking Final Words After ‘Nick of Time’ Medical Decision

Beloved actress Barbara Barrie passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at her home in Manhattan at the age of 95. Her daughter, Jane Harnick, announced that her death was medically assisted after she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

And when speaking with Page Six, Harnick further opened up about the decision, explaining that it was due to a newly passed law that took effect just before her diagnosis.

“She was so grateful that it had been instituted in New York State really in the nick of time,” she told the outlet, adding that her mother has always been a “huge advocate” for medical aid in dying. Harnick said that’s how her mother always wanted to go.

“For years and years, her whole life before she was ever sick with any illness, she always used to say, ‘When my time comes, I just want to take something and go to sleep,’” Harnick explained. “She just really believed that that was a human right.”

 The “Medical Aid in Dying Act” was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in January, which allows terminally ill adults to request life-ending medication from their doctors.

“She wanted it to be her path,” Harnick said, adding that her mother considered traveling to Switzerland or Vermont, where it is legal, before she was allowed to do it in New York.

Barrie was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier in October, with her health quickly declining.

“We didn’t really know, but it just worked out that she went to the hospital three weeks ago. She was declared terminal, and they said, ‘You can do this now,’” Harnick explained. “We were planning her death and her memorial at the same time and she was fine with it. She was weighing in on who should speak and what the music should be and she was really fine with that. She was ready to go. She knew 95 was old enough.”

What Were Barbara Barrie’s Final Words?

Barrie passed away with her daughter, her son, and her son-in-law by her side.

“As she was falling asleep, we all just said, ‘We love you.’ And she said, ‘I love you too.’ And those were her last words,” Harnick said.

She also shared her final wish for the family, which is to carry on her advocacy for medical aid in dying.

“She was an advocate for a lot of things during her life, and to go out on this one is what she would have wanted,” Harnick expressed. “She had the most incredible life, she did everything she wanted to do, she had the family she wanted. It was 100 percent her decision, and we all supported it. She’s an advocate for that right.”

Barbara Barrie’s Legacy

Barrie’s career spanned many years on stage and on screen. She was nominated for a Tony for her performance in the original production of Stephen Sondheim‘s Company and also received an Oscar nomination for her work in 1979’s Breaking Away. Then, when Breaking Away was adapted into a TV series, Barrie received her first Emmy nomination. She also received Emmy nominations for her appearances on Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU.