Monty Python star dies

Terry Jones, a founding member of the anarchic Monty Python troupe who was hailed by colleagues as “the complete Renaissance comedian” and “a man of endless enthusiasms,” has died at age 77 after suffering from dementia. Jones’ family said he died Tuesday evening at his home in London “after a long, extremely brave... battle.”

Born in Wales in 1942, Jones attended Oxford University, where he began writing and performing with fellow student Michael Palin. After leaving university, he wrote for seminal 1960s comedy series, including “The Frost Report” and “Do Not Adjust Your Set.” At the end of the decade he and Palin, along with Eric Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Terry Gilliam, formed Monty Python’s Flying Circus.