Career
He was originally a Methodist and had a doctorate in music history from University of California, Berkeley. In 1982 he joined the Hemlock Society and later he joined Final Exit Network. The first suicide he assisted occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1995.
He claimed to have assisted in 102 other suicides.
In January 2002 the Irish authorities wanted Exoo for assisting the suicide of Rosemary Toole. The United States arrested him, but ultimately refused extradition on the grounds that Irish and American law in this area were not compatible.
Exoo declined to attend the inquest into Toole"s death on legal advice. He stated, however, that it was unlikely he would work with Irish citizens in the future, as he considered it too dangerous.
Although he had supporters, there were concerns within the right-to-die community that Exoo assisted suicides of individuals who did not have terminal or debilitating illness.
Jon Ronson profiled him in Channel 4 documentary Reverend Exoo claimed to have helped 103 people commit suicide, although Jon Ronson claims that most of Exoo"s clients were suffering from depression or psychosomatic illnesses, not terminal illnesses, including Toole. Exoo bought a property in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 2007, with the intent of using part of it as a place for terminally ill patients to end their lives. Exoo died May 26, 2015, at a hospice in Beckley, West Virginia, at the age of 72.
