Jack KevorkianKe·vor·ki·an, Jack /kəˈvɔːkiən $ kəˈvɔːr-/ (1928-2011) an Armenian-American doctor who supported the right of people with terminal illnesses (=illnesses that cannot be cured) to die with the help of a doctor. He claimed to have helped at least 130 people to die in this way (known as assisted suicide). In 1999 he was sent to prison for second-degree murder after helping a man called Thomas Youk with Lou Gehrig’s disease to kill himself. He was released in 2007. He is famous for saying “Dying is not a crime” and in the media he was sometimes called Dr Death. His full name was Jacob Kervorkian.