Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has died aged 85 after spending eight years in a coma following a stroke after spending the last eight years of his life in a coma.
Dr
Shlomo Noy, who has personally treated Sharon since his debilitating
stroke eight years ago, said that Mr Sharon had struggled with
"surprising strength" over the past week as his condition had
deterioriated. "He departed peacefully with his wife and family at his
side," he said.
The decorated former army general was pronounced dead at the Tel
Hashomer Hospital, near Tel Aviv, days after doctors reported a sharp
deterioration in his health, leading to multiple organ failure. He was
prime minister from 2001 until he suffered a massive stroke in January
2006, which left him incapacitated.
"He went when he decided to go," Gilad Sharon, his son, said.