Death by ulcerative colitis?

i want to know if anyone died of ulcerative colitis? What's the life expectancy of UC patients? i know there's lots of medicines out there and latest stuff to try on patients but after eating lots strong medicines like steroids and imuran, the immune system just dies away and the patient becomes weaker and may get infected with other diseases. So, the patient may have to face other diseases besides UC. I want to know how many of you have been patients of UC and for how long? Can a patient of UC have a normal life expectancy or die after several years of eating steroids and other meds ? pls answer asap.Thanks