Politicians, journalists, comedians and everyday Australians have paid tribute to Stella Young, who died unexpectedly over the weekend.
Friends and fans took to social media to praise the 32-year-old for her wit, humor and "searing honesty".
Paralympian Kurt Fearnly said the world will be less interesting without her.
"(Young) fearlessly challenged every stereotype of disability. Love ya & always miss ya buddy."
Federal politicians have also joined the tributes, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten describing her as a fierce advocate for people with disabilities.
"This is sad and bad news for a whole lot of disability activists, and for a whole lot of people who got to know Stella in all of her walks of life," he told reporters in Adelaide.
"She was a very special person."
Assistant Social Services Minister Mitch Fifield also honoured Young's work.
"She used a combination of charm and humour to highlight patronising and negative attitudes that people with disability have put up with for too long," he said in a statement.
"Stella had a generosity of spirit and taught many members of parliament, including myself, a great deal."
'She was unforgettable'
ABC Managing Director Mark Scott said Young was funny, politically incorrect and an unforgettable person.
"Stella Young, if you met her, if you saw her speak, you just know that she was unforgettable," Mr Scott said on ABC Radio.
"... This remarkable combination of a political activist, and advocate for people with disabilities, and so passionate about that, but such a wonderful communicator, so sharp, so incisive and so funny.
"In recent years as millions of Australians got to know her, I think they just were amazed by her skills, her ability and communications prowess, and so this is a terrible loss at such a young age."
Just last month, Stella Young penned a letter to her 80 year-old self published in the Sydney Morning Herald.
In it she wrote, “I suppose I can't really write this letter to you without talking about the assumption, the expectation, that people like us die young.”
“I stopped unconsciously apologising for taking up space. I'm sure you can scarcely imagine that now; a world where disabled people, women in particular, are made to feel like we're not really entitled to inhabit public spaces,” she wrote.
The letter went on to say, “So you know what you're going to do? You're going to rug up in winter, eat your vegies, slap on some Vicks VapoRub and get the f*ck on with it.”
“I will do everything I can to meet you, eighty-year-old Stell. By the time I get to you, I will have loved with every tiny little bit of my heart and soul,” the letter reads.
She will have a private funeral with a public event to be held later in Melbourne.
Share
