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    Debi Austin dies at 62

    After losing her larynx to cancer, Debi Austin became a powerful advocate in the public-awareness campaign against smoking. In a memorable ad, the Canoga Park woman puffed on a cigarette through a surgical hole in her throat.

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    by visa2tour

    Community Contributor

    visa2tour.com

    The public-awareness television ad, which began airing in the mid-1990s, turned the Canoga Park woman into a powerful symbol of the anti-smoking movement.

    Austin, who became an anti-smoking advocate and educator, died Friday at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys after a 20-year battle with cancer, her family said. She was 62.

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