It has been over a decade since the world first heard the name Brittany Maynard. You probably remember the 29-year-old woman with terminal brain cancer who became the face of the "death with dignity" movement. Beside her in every photo and every televised interview was her husband, Dan Diaz. He was the one holding her hand in that famous yellow house in Oregon.
When Brittany chose to end her life on November 1, 2014, she didn't just leave behind a legislative legacy. She left behind a 43-year-old widower who had promised to keep her fight alive. Naturally, people are curious. Grief is a heavy thing, but life, as they say, goes on. People often wonder: is Dan Diaz remarried?
Honestly, the answer isn't a simple wedding announcement or a "yes" or "no" you'll find on a splashy tabloid cover.
The Promise That Kept Him Single
For years following Brittany’s death, Dan Diaz was—and largely remains—singularly focused. If you look at his public appearances from 2015 through 2025, they aren't about his personal life. They are about the law.
He didn't go on a dating show. He didn't disappear into a quiet life in the suburbs. Instead, he spent the better part of the last decade in state capitols. He was there when California passed the End of Life Option Act in 2015. He was there for New Jersey in 2019. He was still at it in early 2025, testifying in New York.
When you spend your weeks flying from Alamo, California, to places like Albany or Santa Fe, there isn't much room for a "getting to know you" phase with someone new.
Most people don't realize how much of his identity became wrapped up in Brittany's final wish. He told People magazine during the 10-year anniversary of her passing that he still lives in the house they bought together. That’s a long time to keep those memories in the hallway. He hasn't publicly announced a second marriage or even a long-term partner.
Does he ever talk about dating?
In interviews, Dan is pretty guarded. He speaks about Brittany with a level of reverence that makes it feel like she's still very much a part of his daily internal monologue. In a 2024 interview, he mentioned, "I miss her every day." That doesn't sound like a man who has moved on in the traditional sense.
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There have been rumors, of course. People see a man in his 50s who is articulate, compassionate, and passionate about a cause, and they assume someone must have "snatched him up." But Dan has kept his private life incredibly private. If there is a "new" woman in his life, she is the best-kept secret in the advocacy world.
Why the question of his marriage matters
The reason people keep searching for whether Dan Diaz is remarried is actually kind of sweet, if a bit nosy. We want a happy ending. We want to know that the guy who went through a public, televised trauma found some peace.
But for Dan, peace seems to come from the work.
- He works with Compassion & Choices.
- He manages The Brittany Fund.
- He advocates for "medical aid in dying" (MAID).
- He pushes for the removal of "sunset clauses" in existing laws.
It’s a heavy rotation. Most people would have burned out by now. They would have handed the baton to a professional lobbyist and gone to find a quiet life. Dan didn't.
The 2026 Reality
As of January 2026, there is no public record of Dan Diaz being remarried. He still refers to Brittany as his wife in most advocacy settings. While he might have a personal life away from the cameras—and he certainly deserves one—he has chosen not to make a second marriage part of his public narrative.
He’s 54 now. He has spent nearly a fifth of his life as a widower-advocate.
Misconceptions about his "New Life"
A lot of folks get confused when they see Dan with different women in photos at gala events or legislative sessions. Often, these are other advocates or family members of people who used medical aid in dying.
For instance, he frequently appears with people like Scott Barraco or Erin Markman. These are fellow travelers in the grief-to-advocacy pipeline. It's easy for a casual observer to see a photo of two people at a podium and assume they're a couple. In Dan's case, it's almost always professional.
Is he "stuck" in the past?
Some critics of the right-to-die movement have suggested that Dan is "stuck" or that he’s using the cause to avoid moving on. That’s a pretty harsh take. If you listen to him speak, he doesn't sound stuck. He sounds like a man fulfilling a contract.
He promised Brittany he would do this. And if you’ve ever lost someone you really loved, you know that keeping a promise to them is sometimes the only thing that keeps your feet on the floor in the morning.
What we can learn from Dan's journey
If you’re looking for a takeaway about Dan Diaz and his current status, it’s about the "and." He is a widower and an advocate. He is a man with a past and a man with a very busy present.
Whether he remarries in the future or stays single, his story has already changed the landscape of healthcare in the United States. He’s helped pass laws in 11 jurisdictions and D.C. That's a lot of paperwork and a lot of handshakes.
If you want to stay updated on what he's actually doing—rather than who he's dating—the best place to look isn't the gossip columns. It's the legislative trackers for "Medical Aid in Dying" bills.
Actionable Insights for Following This Story:
- Check the legislation: If you want to see where Dan is, look at the 2026 legislative sessions in states like New York or Massachusetts. He’s likely there.
- Support the cause: If you’re moved by his story, The Brittany Fund is still the primary vehicle for the work he and Brittany started.
- Respect the privacy: Understand that for a man who shared his wife's death with the world, keeping his next chapter private might be his way of reclaiming his own life.
The story of Dan Diaz isn't about a wedding ring. It's about a man who turned a 29-year-old's tragedy into a 10-year crusade for autonomy. Whether he ever walks down an aisle again is secondary to the fact that he's still standing at all.