Full Name Deborah Austin | Known for Anti-smoking advocate Name Debi Austin | |
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Died February 22, 2013, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, United States | ||
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Debi Austin (April 13, 1950 – February 22, 2013) was a pioneering anti-smoking advocate, appearing in anti-tobacco ads that aired in California starting in 1996.
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History
Born Deborah Austin on April 13, 1950 in Illinois, she moved to Los Angeles in 1954. She started regularly smoking cigarettes in junior high. In 1992, she was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and had a laryngectomy. She starred in the well-known Voicebox ad, where she is talking to the viewer then smokes through her stoma at her throat, described in a statement by Dr. Ron Chapman of the California Department of Public Health as "the most-recognized and talked about California tobacco control ad". He continued, "Debi was a pioneer in the fight against tobacco and showed tremendous courage by sharing her story to educate Californians on the dangers of smoking." Though she was finally able to quit smoking a few months after the ads first aired, she continued to battle various forms of cancer for the rest of her life.
Austin died on February 22, 2013 in Van Nuys, California, at the age of 62.
