JEANNE LITTLE’S DAUGHTER’S TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO HER MUM
The flamboyant star has been cruelly robbed of her legendary spark – and now daughter Katie just wants her mum to die with dignity
She was the life of every party – a vibrant, triple Logie-winning TV queen whose wild wigs, zany outfits and unmistakable catchcry, “Hello Daaaarling!” made Jeanne Little one of our most loved stars.
Sadly, for the past seven years, Jeanne has been bedridden in a Sydney nursing home, barely able to move and unable to walk. Her famous voice silenced forever, thanks to the cruel ravages of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Mum spends her days just staring at the ceiling,” explains her daughter Katie Little, who would gladly throw her support behind legalising euthanasia so her mum can die with dignity.
Jeanne’s mind has been “robbed of all memories”. She has no idea who anyone is, and no clue of her past glittering life as one of our most colourful and beloved entertainers.
LOVE OF HER LIFE
Katie, 42, says her father Barry, Jeanne’s devoted husband and sidekick for the past 50 years, was beyond devastated when she was taken from him. “They were the loves of one another’s lives,” she says, explaining Barry is now in the same nursing home, dealing with Parkinson’s disease and physically very frail.
“He sees Mum most days, holds her hand and tells her how much he loves her, but Mum’s situation breaks his heart. When he was living alone he was in a state of desperate depression.”
Katie says Jeanne, 79, would hate every second of her current existence. “She was always so fiercely independent and upbeat. She loved life and could never sit still. Now mum can’t eat by herself and she needs to be lifted out of bed and bathed. The nursing staff are angels, but the disease has denied Mum all dignity. She’d be mortified, and I know given a choice she’d never wish to be alive under these hideous circumstances.”
Katie says she found out Jeanne’s views on euthanasia when she was just 10 years old after they returned home from visiting a friend in a similar situation.
“I’ll never forget hearing her say frankly, ‘Barry, if I ever get like that, put a pillow over my face.’ Dad was horrified at the time, but her remark now haunts me.
“Alzheimer’s is just awful, and the only blessing is she has no idea what’s happening. I know Mum would rather die than go on living for years like this. Mum was never afraid of death – she was a firm believer in the afterlife and moving on to the next adventure.”
Katie, a married mum-of-three, says the saddest aspect of Jeanne’s condition is she’s missing out on the joys of being a grandmother.
“She absolutely adored my eldest son Tom who’s now 12, but didn’t really get to know my daughter Charlotte [now 10]. She never got to see Tom follow in her showbiz footsteps – he’s an actor. I know she’d have been so proud seeing him pop up on TV [in Puberty Blues and A Place To Call Home].
“Five years ago Hunter was born, and Mum had no idea. It was heartbreaking taking my newborn son in to see her – she was just lying in her nursing home bed, drifting in and out of sleep, murmuring a few sounds.
“Charlotte is mad for clothes and makeup, just like Mum. She’s so creative and adores getting dressed up. She loves Jeanne’s enormous wardrobe of outfits – a kaleidoscope of feathers and spangles – and I think how much Mum would have loved this.
DYING WITH DIGNITY
“It’s a tragedy – the kids would have adored her and she’d have spoiled them rotten! I know Mum would be listening to the euthanasia debate and she wouldn’t hold back. She’d say to the politicians, ‘What are you waiting for?’”
Katie says Jeanne wouldn’t want this life. “Mum would want a fabulous farewell, and she’d like to go on her own terms – to sail off with a bang… champagne, close friends, outrageous stories, lots of love and laughter. A big kiss goodbye, and she’d be on her way. That’s how Jeanne Little would like to move on to her next exciting chapter.
“Instead, she’s trapped in a body that’s almost catatonic. I used to think Mum’s memory fading was the worst of it, but this could go on for years – life sometimes is so cruel.”