Martyn Butler co-founded the Terrence Higgins Trust in 1982 after the death of his friend Terry – the first person to die of Aids in the UK
The Health Secretary has led tributes after the death of the founder of a leading HIV/Aids charity from London. Martyn Butler co-founded the Terrence Higgins Trust in 1982 after the death of his friend Terry – the first person to die of Aids in the UK. Mr Butler’s death, age 71, was announced today.
Along with Mr Higgins’ boyfriend, Rupert Whitaker, Mr Butler established the charity to support people living with Aids and share information about preventing the transmission of HIV. He was born in Newport in Wales but lived and worked in London (specifically Limehouse) during the early days of the AIDS crisis. He moved to London in the 1970s, where he also worked in advertising, cinema and entertainment. He met Terry Higgins and the pair worked together at Heaven nightclub.
The charity started with humble beginnings, with Mr Butler using his own home phone number for the first Aids helpline. He supported the charity for five decades and was made an OBE for services to charity and public health.
His brother Guy Hewett said: “We are heartbroken to lose him so suddenly but full of pride for all he achieved. He saw it as a duty to inform the country, and in particular the gay community, of what little information there was on HIV and Aids in the early 1980s.
“He took great joy in seeing what Terrence Higgins Trust has become and stayed involved to the very end. Grief is the terrible price of love, but we know his legacy lives on.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Martyn Butler was a tenacious campaigner for people living with HIV. He had both the foresight to set up Terrence Higgins Trust and the insight to name it after his friend to humanise the Aids epidemic, which has shaped the UK’s response to HIV.
“As Health Secretary, it was my privilege to be part of his fifth decade of championing HIV prevention, support and remembrance. We are all forever in his debt and his legacy lives on.”
Gareth Thomas, former British Lions rugby captain and Terrence Higgins Trust patron, said: “Martyn Butler founding Terrence Higgins Trust brought a distinctly Welsh feel to everything done by the organisation dedicated to a fellow Welshman. He was a trailblazer that stuck at the cause of supporting people living with HIV over five decades. I will not forget his smile and we continue the fight in his memory.”
Richard Angell, Terrence Higgins Trust chief executive, said the announcement had come as a “shock”, adding: “Terrence Higgins Trust literally wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Martyn. When it came to the organisation and people living with HIV, nothing was too much trouble for him.
“From our first fundraiser, speaking engagement, and leaflet to marching at Cardiff Pride, unveiling Terry Higgins’ blue plaque in Haverfordwest and talking to media, Martyn has walked with us every step of the way. He was determined, spirited and never took no for an answer.
“Kind to a fault, he was also brave – giving his home phone number as the first Aids helpline in 1983 – and caring, and an inspiration to other deaf people everywhere. He will be missed by the Terrence Higgins Trust family, his mother, siblings and the friends so lucky to spend time with him.”
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