Comedian and disability activist Stella Young dies suddenly aged 32

show ad

Kate lands in New York with a bump: Pregnant Duchess arrives at hotel favored by Diana as royal couple touch down in the Big Apple
The moment a 15-year-old girl was punched and put in choke hold by cop as she yelled: 'I can't breathe'
Obama says racism is 'deeply rooted in America' as he addresses wave of protests following decisions to clear killer cops
Rolling Stone quietly changes apology on rape story to take full responsibility after critics accused magazine of 'victim blaming'
President Obama shrugs off his sore throat to host Kennedy Center dinner with First Lady Michelle who stuns in a glittering gown
Slice of history: Piece of William and Kate's royal wedding cake exceeds expectations and sells for $7,500 at auction
William attacks China over ivory trade: Prince risks diplomatic row on US trip
John Lennon's killer Mark Chapman was 'the jerk of all jerks', says McCartney as he tells of the moment he found out his friend was murdered
Those celebrity diets can be dangerous, say experts: Eating clay and like a caveman among those in annual list of the worse plans to follow
The moment a man was 'eaten alive' by a snake for a TV stunt - but daredevil faces ridicule for getting his safety team to save him after only his head was consumed
Australian comedian and disability activist Stella Young dies suddenly aged 32
LAPD will search Playboy mansion over Cosby's alleged rape of 15-year-old - as Hugh Hefner distances himself from former best buddy Bill
Troops braced for 'violence and death' next week over first report into CIA torture tactics used on al Qaeda detainees in the wake of 9/11 including waterboarding and humiliation
Doctor who sent first US Ebola patient home and sparked nationwide scare inisists care was appropriate
Playboy 'King of Instagram' is thrown out of Miami nightclub for 'kicking a woman in the FACE' ...months after tossing a porn star off his balcony
Dozens of polygamous families evicted from FLDS compound once run by Warren Jeffs
Fury after luxury building puts up fence on balcony used by rent-controlled tenants to make it a FRACTION of original size so high-paying residents don't get jealous'
Drone in near miss scare at 700ft with Heathrow airliner: Fears Christmas must have flown by amateur pilots could cause disaster in the skies
'Fastest descent I've ever experienced in a plane': Qantas passenger live tweets his emergency landing experience after airbus loses air pressure on Dubai to Sydney flight
Should dollar bills really look like this? The European-inspired redesign that replaces presidents with MOLECULES and has sparked a spirited debate
Mistress of top 9/11 lawyer files $11M lawsuit claiming he continued to pursue affair even after his wife found out and started a campaign of harassment
Indian Uber driver 'raped 25-year-old woman passenger'
Missing girl, 15, is found safe 10 days after vanishing on Thanksgiving while letting the family cat out... but authorities still have no idea where she has been
Missing doctor, 25, found safe 70 miles from home one week after vanishing on her way to work at children's hospital

Stella Young died on Saturday evening, her family said in a statement
The well-known comedian, journalist and disability advocate died aged 32
She has been remembered for taking great delight in challenging 'conventional wisdom' and 'lazy thinking' about disability

By Sarah Michael and Emily Crane for Daily Mail Australia and Australian Associated Press

Published: 18:08 EST, 7 December 2014 | Updated: 20:44 EST, 7 December 2014

View
comments

Comedian, journalist and disability advocate Stella Young has died aged 32.

Young died on Saturday evening, according to a statement released by her family.

'With great sadness we acknowledge the passing of Stella Young, our much loved and irreplaceable daughter and sister. Stella passed away on Saturday evening, unexpectedly, but in no pain,' the statement said.

Her family said they will hold a private funeral, followed by a public event in Melbourne.

Scroll down for video

Comedian, journalist and disability advocate Stella Young died on Saturday evening aged 32

In a statement Ms Young's family said she passed away unexpectedly but in no pain

Disability activist Stella Young says she is no inspiration...

In a statement ABC managing director Mark Scott said Ms Young was an unforgettable communicator and a passionate advocate.

'Stella helped us understand disability issues by sharing with a raw honesty about her own life and forcing us to reconsider how we think about disability and create an environment where those with disability can best get on with their own lives,' Mr Scott said.

'She took great delight in challenging conventional wisdom and lazy thinking.

'It is so hard to believe we have all lost Stella at such a young age. She was so talented, so widely loved and respected.'

Just a few weeks ago, Ms Young vowed to do all she could to meet her 80-year-old self.

But the comedian, writer and high-profile disability activist was painfully aware she might not make it.

ABC managing director Mark Scott said Ms Young was an unforgettable communicator and a passionate advocate

She was described as taking great delight in challenging 'conventional wisdom' and 'lazy thinking'

'I can't tell you for certain that you and I will ever meet,' she said in a letter to her octogenarian self, published in the book Women Of Letters.

'Perhaps that thing I always say flippantly, usually with a third glass of wine in my hand - that I'm here for a good time not a long time - perhaps that's true.

'But on my path to reach you, I promise to grab every opportunity with both hands, to say yes as often as I can, to take risks, to scare myself stupid, and to have a s***load of fun.'

Three days before she died, the comedian, journalist and activist was still busy trying to change people's perceptions of disability.

Ms Young was the headliner at the NSW government's comedy cabaret night No Offence, But! in Sydney last Wednesday to celebrate international day for people with disabilities.

Ms Young is being remembered for the way she confronted stereotypes, especially during a TEDx talk she gave in Sydney in April.

In her address, Ms Young hit out at able-bodied people who use disabled people as 'inspiration porn' to motivate themselves.

The comedian said the lie that living with a disability makes you inspirational is a 'great injustice' and actually makes life harder for disabled people

'I've lost count of the number of times that I've been approached by strangers wanting to tell me that they think I'm brave or inspirational. They were just kind of congratulating me for managing to get up in the morning and remember by own name,' she said.

The comedian and writer said the lie that living with a disability makes you inspirational is a 'great injustice' and actually makes life harder for disabled people.

'Lots of disabled people have said that they've always felt like this and never been able to put their finger on why it makes them feel uncomfortable,' Ms Young told Daily Mail Australia following her talk this year.

'Almost as many have disagreed and that's fine! We're a wildly diverse mob.'

Young was born in Stawell, Victoria in 1982 with Osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition that causes bones to break easily.

She set out as a teenager to change the world, auditing businesses in Stawell's main street for their accessibility.

At 17 she 'came out' as a disabled woman and started calling herself a 'crip' - 'a word that makes me feel strong and powerful', she explained.

Ms Young made her start as a journalist on community television station Channel 31 and most recently worked for ABC Radio and TV.

Ms Young was born with the condition Osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease

She was the founding editor of the ABC's Ramp Up website dedicated to news, opinion and discussion about disability.

The website launched in 2010 but was shut down this year after its funding was cut in the Federal Budget. Ms Young stayed working with the ABC as regular contributor to The Drum, online, radio and television.

She was a two-time state finalist in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Raw Comedy competition.

Her debut show Tales from the Crip won the Best Newcomer Award at the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and she was preparing to tour it nationally and to the Soho Theatre in London in 2015.

Ms Young was a member of the Victorian Disability Advisory Council, Ministerial Advisory Council for the Department of Victorian communities and Women With Disabilities Victoria.

She recently toured the United States at the request of the US government, who saw her as a future world leader on disability and other issues.

Fellow comedians, columnists and disability advocates including Josh Thomas, Charlie Pickering, Kurt Fearnley and Adam Spencer have led the outpouring of tributes to Ms Young on Twitter.