He died the way he lived.

Smelly and wheezing.

A lung cancer patient who died after setting himself on fire in hospital was permitted cigarettes by staff despite a smoking ban, an inquiry has heard. George McGarry, 72, from Kilmarnock, was linked to an oxygen tank at Ayr Hospital in January 2004 when staff saw smoke coming from underneath his door.

A fatal accident inquiry heard it was "very likely" a cigarette had come into contact with Mr McGarry's oxygen. A staff nurse said allowing smoking was left to the discretion of each nurse. Mabel McLarty, an auxiliary nurse, said she ran towards Mr McGarry's room after she smelt smoke, as he had been previously caught with cigarettes.

I'd probably post this story just based on the irony alone, but what really caught my attention was the old guy's dedication to the cause.

Ms McLarty told the inquiry that Mr McGarry, who died four days later, asked for a cigarette immediately after the incident. She said that the staff nurse had felt a cigarette would calm him down.

Now that, my friends, is a smoker.