John Arthur, the Ohio man who with his
longtime partner challenged Ohio's gay marriage ban, died early
Tuesday at the age of 48.
According to the AP, funeral
arrangements are pending.
Arthur and James Obergefell, 47, of
Cincinnati married in June aboard a medical transport plane parked on
the tarmac of a Baltimore airport. The men, together more than 20
years, arranged for the wedding as Arthur battled a diagnosis of Lou
Gehrig's Disease. His final wish was to be buried next to his
husband in a family plot that only allows descendants and spouses.
(Related: Dying
gay man's final wish: To marry his partner.)
The couple sued the state to allow
Arthur to be listed as married on his death certificate, with
Obergefell listed as his surviving spouse. U.S. District Judge
Timothy Black found in favor of the couple.
“Their love is a model for all of
us,” attorney
Al Gerhardstein told the AP. “Part of John's legacy will be
the difference he has already made in the struggle for marriage
equality.”