Terry Jones ‘still enjoys jokes’ despite dementia
MONTY Python star Terry Jones still enjoys long walks and a good joke, despite living with dementia, his friend Michael Palin has said.
Jones, 75, who directed Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life, and co-directed Monty Python And The Holy Grail with Terry Gilliam, is suffering from a form of dementia that affects his ability to communicate.
Jones, who is from Colwyn Bay, and Palin were members of the famous comedy troupe which also included Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle and the late Graham Chapman, with Jones writing and directing many of the group’s best-loved works.
Speaking to The Observer, Palin said: “The thing that struck me was how Terry reacted to his diagnosis. He was very matter of fact about it and would stop people in the street and tell them, ‘I’ve got dementia, you know. My frontal brain lobe has absconded’.
“He knew exactly what was affecting him and he wanted to share that knowledge – because that is the way that Terry is. FTD (Frontotemporal dementia) may cause loss of inhibition, but Terry was never very inhibited in the first place.”
Palin said Jones continues to enjoy aspects of life that he always has, saying: “Terry still goes on very long walks across Hampstead Heath, often following the most obscure routes, and it is very hard to keep up with him.
Palin added: “He still enjoys his beer, his wine, his walks, his films and a good joke.”
Palin said: “We chat – well, I chat. I think that must be the most difficult thing – not to be able to say how you are feeling. We assume that he is happy, but that assumption could be wrong. We just don’t know.”