Robert Munsch has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada at the age of 80.
The children's writer, whose 85 published books include The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson's disease.
Talking with the New York Times Magazine, he said that a confirmed date of his death has not been confirmed, however, said he would go "when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I'll know."
Canada first legalised euthanasia in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses. In 2021, the law was changed to include those with serious and chronic physical conditions, even in non-life-threatening circumstances.
Munsch has sold more than 80 million copies of his books in North America alone, and they have been translated into at least 20 languages, including Arabic, Spanish and Anishinaabemowin, an indigenous North American language.
In the interview, the celebrated author said his decision was influenced by watching his brother die from Lou Gehrig's disease, the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND).
Munsch recalled, "They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought, let him die."
In Canada, people over 18 must meet several requirements to be eligible for assisted dying, such as having an incurable illness; the request should not be made under any kind of external pressure and be in an "advanced state of irreversible decline in capability".
Munsch's daughter, Julie, posted on Facebook that her father's decision to pursue medically assisted dying was made five years ago.
Discussing the interview, she added, "Nowhere does it say my dad isn't doing well, nor that he's going to die anytime soon".
According to Canadian law, the person must be able to actively consent on the day of his death.
Medically assisted dying accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023, as per the most recent official government statistics.