A frail Marcel Tremblay followed through on his public promise to kill himself Friday, in a final bid to spark a nationwide debate on the right-to-die issue.

He was pronounced dead just before midnight Friday.

His last meal consisted of two beers, two shrimp and a crab cake.

The 78-year-old appeared resolute and nonchalant as he prepared to die, explaining that he hoped his suicide would incite debate, The Canadian Press reported.

"I'm 110 per cent positive of what I want to do and I'm justified in my thinking of why I want to do it," Tremblay told reporters, after a goodbye party with his loved ones which he called a "living wake'.

"I want them to debate it, I want them to talk about it."

Tremblay said he would commit suicide by pulling a helium-filled bag over his head.

He said his family and friends supported his decision.

"That decision, for me, is the right decision," he said.

"I feel I'd like to die and that's what I'm going to do.

"To live the way I'm living is not living. It's existing, and there's no reason to continue it day in and day out for any longer than I've already done."

About half an hour after emergency vehicles arrived at the house, Staff.-Sgt. Monique Ackland emerged to confirm the news.

"The police have done what they could under the Mental Health Act," she said.

"Mr. Tremblay was deemed to be mentally stable.

"There was nothing further that police could do unless a physician came forward to say that Mr. Tremblay was mentally ill. That did not happen.

"Tonight, he proceeded with his plan and at 23h51 he was pronounced dead by the doctor."

Earlier on Friday, Tremblay went public with his decision, explaining that he hoped his decision would incite a debate that would change the assisted suicide laws.

Tremblay says he's been sick with a variety of ailments since he was 16 years old, and now suffers from a fatal lung condition that is slowly robbing him of the ability to breathe properly.

"I signed a living will in '91 because I thought I would very well pull the plug at the time and end my life. But for whatever reason, I kept living with all these things," he told Canada AM in an interview early Friday morning.

But faced with the knowledge that he would eventually die from an incurable fatal lung condition, he changed his mind.

He said he had no quality of life as he suffered from a variety of health problems, including back and stomach trouble.

"He is in a position where he can do something," his lawyer Edward Greenspon said.

"The vast majority of people who suffer terminal illnesses are not in a position where they are physically able to do what he intends to do and that's a very big part of the reason why he's decided to be very public about his intentions."

Although it is legal to commit, or attempt to commit suicide in Canada, it is unlawful for anyone to aid or abet the act.

Tremblay acknowledged that this is not a case of assisted suicide.

He said he decided against assisted suicide to ensure his family would be able to attend his death without facing criminal charges.

"That's one of the reasons I want to bring this to a conclusion," he said. "I feel very strongly the law should be changed for those who can't do what I'm doing."

Under current Canadian laws, anyone who assists a suicide faces a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison.

With files from The Canadian Press