Attorney and liberal activist, ccAdy Barkan was married to his spouse, Rachael King, and the duo had two kids together before he died. A look inside his family.
Healthcare activist Ady Barkan has died at age 39 due to “complications” with ALS as tributes flood social media as people send their well wishes to him.
In 2021, he became the subject of the documentary “Not Going Quietly,” directed by Nicholas Bruckman, which followed Barkan on his journey for healthcare reform.
In 2018, he co-founded Be A Hero, a nonprofit organization that aims to expand access to healthcare.
Among the personalities, prominent figures who have paid their respect to the demise activist include Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Democratic politician Bernie Sanders, and Senator Elizabeth Warren just to mention a few.
Following his unfortunate death, many are curious to know more about his personal life, like, who he was married to and how many children he had. Here’s everything we know.
Who is Ady Barkan’s wife Rachael King?
For his life, Ady Barkan was married once to a high-profile woman named Rachael Scarborough King.
Rachael met Ady while the pair were undergraduates at Columbia University, where she achieved her B.A. in Comparative Literature and Society.
She had previously completed her Ph.D. in English and American Literature at New York University.
By profession, Rachael King is a professor of English literature at the University of California and is best known as the wife of Ady Barkan.
Rachael is both an author and editor and was previously a reporter before returning to academia.
What has Rachael King said about Ady Barkan’s death?
Rachael announced the death of her husband via his X/Twitter page on Wednesday (November 1).
The tweet read: “Hi all, this is Ady’s wife, Rachael. I’m devastated to share the news that Ady has died from complications of ALS.
“You probably knew Ady as a healthcare activist. But more importantly he was a wonderful dad and my life partner for 18 years.”
She then wrote from her account on Thursday (November 2), saying: “Words cannot express the pain of losing Ady. We were together for 18 years. We thought we had many more together. I miss him so much.”
Did Ady Barkan have children?
Before Ady Barkan died aged 39, he was a father.
He had two children – a son and a daughter – with his wife, Rachael
The names of their kids who are minors are Carl Barkan and Willow Barkan.
Their son, Carl, was born in 2016, four months before Ady’s ALS diagnosis, while their daughter, Willow. was born in 2019.
The family lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Following Ady’s death, Rachael thanked his “incredible caregivers” for “allowing us to live as a family through Ady’s health challenges”.
Paying tribute to her husband, Racheal King highlighted Ady’s commitment to their family despite his health battle.
Credit: Instagram
What is known about Ady Barkan’s family?
Ady Barkan was born on December 18, 1983, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Barkan grew up first in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then in Claremont and Pasadena, California, in what he described as a “secular Jewish household”.
He held dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship.
His real name is Ohad Barkan but famously called Ady.
His parents, who are immigrants from Romania and Israel, names are Elazar Barkan (father) and Diana Kormos Buchwald (mother).
His mother, Diana, is a professor of the history of science at the California Institute of Technology
His father, Elazar, is a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University.
Barkan attended high school in Claremont, where he took an early interest in progressive activism like the fight against anti-gay rights legislation.
Ady went on to study at Columbia University and Yale University, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 2010.