Tributes have been pouring in for Martyn Butler, who co-founded the Terrence Higgins Trust, the UK’s leading HIV charity. Butler passed away on February 21, 2026, aged 71.

Butler set up the trust alongside Rupert Whitaker in 1982, following the death of Whitaker’s boyfriend, Terry Higgins, the first publicly named person to die of an AIDS-related illness in the UK. The trust was Europe’s first HIV-response organisation, and its aim was to humanise the epidemic, support those living with HIV and to highlight prevention information.

The advocate also set up the first AIDS helpline, using his own phone number for the service.

Butler was part of the Terrence Higgins Trust for five decades, and in 2022, he received an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his work. That same year, he was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Rainbow Honours.

In a number of tributes shared on the Terrence Higgins Trust website, Butler is remembered for his determined spirit and his tireless advocacy.

The trust’s Chief Executive Richard Agnell said the charity would not exist “if it wasn’t for Martyn”.

“When it came to the organisation and people living with HIV, nothing was too much trouble for him,” he said. “From our first fundraiser, speaking engagement, and leaflet to marching at Cardiff Pride, unveiling Terry Higgins’s blue plaque in Haverfordwest and talking to media, Martyn has walked with us every step of the way. He will be missed by the Terrence Higgins Trust family, his mother, siblings and the friends so lucky to spend time with him.

“He was determined, spirited and never took no for an answer. Kind to a fault, he was also brave – giving his home phone number as the first AIDS helpline in 1983 – and caring, and an inspiration to other deaf people everywhere. He will be sorely missed.”

The former captain of the British Lions, Gareth Thomas described Butler as “a trailblazer that stuck at the cause of supporting people living with HIV for five decades.”

“I will not forget his smile and we continue the fight in his memory,” Thomas added.

Butler’s brother, Guy Hewett, said the family is heartbroken to lose him so suddenly but is also “full of pride for all he achieved”.

“He saw it as a duty to inform the country, and in particular the gay community, of what little information there was on HIV and AIDS in the early 1980s. He took great joy in seeing what Terrence Higgins Trust has become and stayed involved to the very end,” Hewett said. “Grief is the terrible price of love, but we know his legacy lives on.”