One of the Vancouver men who led the fight to legalize gay marriage in Canada has died. Peter Corren passed away Wednesday after a three-year battle with cancer.

Corren, born Peter Cook, and his husband, the former Murray Warren, were part of the lawsuit that led to the legalization of gay marriage. They became one of the first gay couples in Canada to marry, jointly adopting the surname Corren.

'The community has lost a very vocal and strong spokesperson.'

—Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson

Their lawyer, Barbara Findlay, was one of the witnesses at their wedding.

"Peter was a prince, a generous, honest, caring individual, and it was a great joy to see them be able to take advantage of the right they fought so hard to get," Findlay said Thursday.

In the mid-90s Warren was involved in a lawsuit against the Surrey School District, which refused to include a handful of children's books with same-sex couples. That led the couple to file a human rights complaint against schools in the province.

A decade later the provincial government introduced a social justice program in the schools, which included same-sex issues. The province also gave the Correns unprecedented input into the content of that program.

The Correns also pushed for equality in adoption rights, and became one of the first Canadian gay couples to legally adopt a child.

Vancouver Coun. Tim Stevenson said Peter Corren had a major impact on the lives of those in the gay community.

"The community has lost a very vocal and strong spokesperson," said Stevenson.

Same-sex marriage was legalized across Canada in July 2005, having previously been recognized in most provinces, including British Columbia in July 2003.