New Book Details 007 Star’s Battle With Dementia: ‘It Affects Everything’
By Movieguide® Contributor
New details about the days leading up to 007 star Sean Connery’s death have been released in a new book by biographer Herbie J. Pilato.
“[Connery] died…at some beautiful ripe age, but had some measure of dementia,” Pilato said. “Dementia is not just a mental issue. You’re affected physically in other ways…It affects everything. So it’s not just the mind. And to see someone who was so strong battling this disease—it was difficult.”
“If anybody looked like a movie star, it was Sean Connery,” he shared. “But towards the end, when he was frail, it was hard to watch. It was hard to see that.”
Movieguide® reported after the James Bond actor’s death:
“He had dementia and it took its toll on him,” [Connery’s wife, Micheline Roquebrune] explained. “He got his final wish to slip away without any fuss.”
“It was no life for him. He was not able to express himself latterly,” Roquebrune continued. “At least he died in his sleep and it was just so peaceful. I was with him all the time and he just slipped away. It was what he wanted. He was gorgeous and we had a wonderful life together. He was a model of a man. It is going to be very hard without him, I know that. But it could not last forever and he went peacefully.”
New details about his final days have been revealed in “Connery, Sean Connery – Before, During, and After His Most Famous Role.”
The book features candid comments from the star’s lifelong friend and fellow actor, Brendan Lynch.
“Because he wasn’t well at all, Micheline did ask me to try and see a bit more of him in the end,” Lynch said. “He didn’t want to have people that he didn’t know hanging around, so I would stop in to visit.”
“I was crying at times to see this mountain of a man — this monumental human achievement in such a terrible state — frail (mentally and physically) unable to carry on a conversation or finish off a sentence,” Lynch continued. “To see his body weak and flawed at the end…it was very sad. We tried to have a conversation. I tried to tell him what was going on in the sporting world, despite knowing that he wasn’t actually taking it all in.”
Pilato said, “I think it was hard for his wife, his son and fans who loved him. It’s hard to see anybody get sick and become frail.”
Connery’s son, Jason Connery, said his father’s death is “a sad loss for the people of the world.”
Pilato reflected on the impact Connery’s marriage to Micheline Roquebrune had on their lives. The couple was married for 45 years when he died.
Pilato said, “I think that relationship worked because she was not an actress. She was dedicated to him. And their relationship was great for years, decades. She was there for him right to the end. They went to the Bahamas, and they ended up spending the rest of his life there.”
Roquebrune previously remembered her late husband saying, “He was gorgeous, and we had a wonderful life together. He was a model of a man. It is going to be very hard without him, I know that.”
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