Youssef Cohen

1947 - 2016
Youssef Cohen died March 31, 2016, in Portland, Oregon, age 68, of mesothelioma.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, raised in Cairo and Sao Paulo, Brazil, Youssef came to the US in 1974 for graduate and post-doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, where he never got used to the long, cold winters. He became a professor of politics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1982 and later fell in love with and married one of his smartest graduate students. He joined the NYU faculty in 1988; his happiest and most engaging years were as director of undergraduate studies from 2004-2015.

A modern-day renaissance man, Youssef published academic books and papers and a semi-autobiographical novel called Odette that made him cry every time he read a passage out loud. He spoke 5 languages fluently and could also curse like a native in Arabic, Romanian, and Hebrew. He transformed his love of art, literature, and language into an opus of 55 original gold-leaf illuminated letters for people he loved – a medieval T for Tom, a dragon M for Max, a happy C for Consuelo. He studied Buddhism and Judaism, oriental rugs, acting, and watercolor. He loved literary novels, tennis and pool, cheating at cards, and hiking in the mountains. His fashion sense was impeccable from toe to ankle – he had an enviable collection of striped socks. The rest of his closet was about familiarity and comfort. He wore the same green polartec jacket in every damn vacation photo for 10 years.

He was irreverent, with an uninhibited and infectious laugh -- lunches with him were often best suited for the corner booth in the local diner. On learning of Youssef's death, friend and colleague Bob Weisberg wrote: "With whom else was I able to discuss everything from raunchy sex in Brazil to esoteric details of social science research methodology, often in the same sentence? We laughed so hard we annoyed those at nearby tables."

Death was a favorite daily conversation topic, long before Youssef was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. He was an avid proponent of death with dignity and hoped to die without pain or suffering. When he was hit by a car in Scotland many years ago and walked away with only a minor head wound, he complained he had missed his chance at an easy death. In 2015, he became a passionate and articulate spokesman for Compassion and Choices. In Getty photographer John Moore's online essay on aid-in-dying legislation in New York State and in other interviews, Youssef advocated for everyone's right to choose how to die just as they choose how to live.

Youssef is survived by his wife of 28 years, Lindsay Wright, son Max, brothers Pierre and Eric and their families in Brazil, former wife Vera de Gouvea, and cousins and friends around the world.

Public celebration April 21, 4 pm, at NYU Jurow Hall, 100 Washington Square East, NYC. Donations only please to compassionandchoices.org.