I feel my life slipping away... but I’m not scared
BRAVERY OF BILLY CONNOLLY
SIR Billy Connolly has admitted the end is near, but says he is not afraid.
The comedian, 76, who has Parkinson’s disease, added that he gets infuriated, yet is soon laughing again.
He said: “My life is slipping away and I can feel it. But it doesn’t frighten me, it’s an adventure.”
AFTER more than 40 years of making people laugh, Sir Billy Connolly says humour is helping him through his Parkinson’s disease ordeal.
The legendary comedian admitted the debilitating condition sometimes puts him in a temper, but only briefly.
He said: “It takes a certain calm to deal with. I sometimes don’t have it. I sometimes get angry with it, but that doesn’t last long – I just collapse in laughter.”
In what could be his last major TV appearance, he is in a reflective mood as he spoke of his symptoms getting worse and that he could die soon. He added he is not afraid about the prospect.
In the final episode of his two-part documentary Made in Scotland on tomorrow, Sir Billy said: “There is no
denying it, I am 75, I have got Parkinson’s and I’m at the wrong end of the telescope of life. I am at the point where the yesteryears mean more than the yesterdays...
“My life, it’s slipping away and I can feel it, and I should – I’m 75, I’m near the end... But it doesn’t frighten me. It’s an adventure and it is quite interesting to see myself slipping away.
“As bits slip off and leave me, talents leave and attributes leave. I don’t have the balance I used to have, I don’t have the energy I used to have.
“I can’t hear the way I used to hear, I can’t see as good as I used to. I can’t remember the way I used to remember.
“And they all came one at a time and they just slipped away.”
Sir Billy, who turned 76 after the filming of the BBC show, added: “It is like somebody is in charge of you and they are saying ‘right, I added all these bits when you were a youth, now it is time to
Seeing myself slipping away is interesting. I’m near the end... but it’s an adventure SIR BILLY ON HIS STEADY DECLINE AS THE DISEASE TAKES HOLD OF HIM
subtract’.” Parkinson’s, a neurological disorder with no cure, causes various issues including involuntary shaking, slow movement, and balance and memory problems.
Sir Billy said: “It is as if I am being prepared for something. Some other adventure, which is over the hill.
“I have got all this stuff to lose first and then I will be the shadowy side of the hill, doing the next episode in the spirit world.” The Glaswegian, nicknamed the Big Yin, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013. He continued to tour for a few years but had to slow down as the condition worsened. He is shown at one point asking for filming to stop as he appears to be feeling the effects of the disease. In another scene, his hand is shaking uncontrollably. He said: “All my life I’ve got sick... the flu and pneumonia, various things, and they all went away... [Parkinson’s] isn’t going anywhere. It is going to get worse.”
He added he is trying to stay happy. The grandad, who has three children with wife Pamela Stephenson, 69, and two kids from his first marriage, said: “The good things are there. The love we have for people is still there.
“And with a bit of luck the love they have for you is still there. I am very lucky in as much as I made a bit of a mark, and you think ‘well, I must have done something right’. And that keeps you company when you are older.”
He added: “You can volunteer to take life seriously but it is gonna get you, they are going to win over you.
“It is harsh, but you can either break down and complain about how miserable your life is or have a go at it and survive. I think that’s the basis of it all.”
In lighter moments, the programme visits places he loved going to as a child, and he shows off his old racing bike he cycled to shows on. He is also greeted by fans wherever he goes.
The former folk singer said: “Since I got Parkinson’s disease I have cut back all my work, but the fame remains and I have never known anything like it.
“It’s a very pleasant feeling, people saying how nice it is to see you and how good you are looking.”
On a positive note, Sir Billy added: “There is still time to go yet, still places to go, new friends to make, maybe new songs to write... and jokes to tell.”
■ Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland concludes tomorrow on BBC2 at 9pm.
BILLY Connolly says his life is slipping away because of Parkinson’s disease.
He is not raging against the dying of the light but accepting it with dignity. Few comics have brought such happiness and we all hope it will be a good while yet before the laughter fades.