Billy Connolly has made a candid confession about death amid his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s.
The comedy legend, 81, revealed that he now sees the funny side when it comes to dying, admitting “it’s not a big thing”.
Billy Connolly on Parkinson’s diagnosis
Speaking to The Mirror, Billy reflected on how doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer – now all-clear – and Parkinson’s on the same day in 2013.
“Yes, it was a funny week I had. On the Monday, I had hearing aids. On the Tuesday, I got pills for heartburn, which I have to take all the time, and on Wednesday, I got news that I had prostate cancer and Parkinson’s. The doctors told me on the phone: ‘Look, we have had the results, and it is cancer.’ I said: ‘Oh, nobody has ever said that to me before.'”
Billy became a household name in the UK after appearing on Sir Michael Parkinson‘s BBC talk show Parkinson in the early 1970s. So prolific were his appearances, he has now joked: “I just thought, I’ve got Parkinson’s. I wish he had kept it to himself!”
‘Death is not the big thing – it is just a sudden nothing’
During the same interview, Billy also pondered the prospect of dying.
The Big Yin commented that he “confronts” his diagnosis head-on. And he also admitted that he makes decisions “based on it”.
He continued to say that he doesn’t think he’s been “badly treated” in life and thinks he’s “one of millions” who has the disease.
“Just behave yourself and relax. You then realise it [death] is not the big thing. It is nothing. It is just a sudden nothing.”
Pamela’s reaction to his diagnosis
Billy, who said his wife Pamela Stephenson, 74, “gave him a cuddle” when he got his diagnosis, lives on the lush island of Key West, Florida.
He previously spoke about his diagnosis, admitting that Parkinson’s would eventually “get him”.
Speaking in 2021, Billy said: “It’s got me and it will get me and it will end me but that’s okay with me.
“And who knows? It might be so lovely on the other side that you don’t ever think about that.”
Billy talks about his health struggles next Monday (September 2) on Billy Connolly: In My Own Words at 10.40pm on BBC One.
Read more: Sir Billy Connolly wins BAFTA as viewers in tears over speech in rare TV appearance
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