Scottish comedian Billy Connolly has broken his silence for the first time since making comments in a documentary that suggested he was close to death.
On Friday, the second episode of Made in Scotland, a two-part series about Billy’s life, aired in the United Kingdom. In the episode, Connolly spoke openly about his Parkinson’s and death and admitted that he didn’t have long to live.
“My Parkinson’s is not going to go away and it’s going to get worse,” he said, according to The Mirror. “My life is slipping away.”
The Debt Collector actor also claimed that he was “at the wrong end of the telescope” and that his life would end soon.
“My life, it’s slipping away and I can feel it and I should.” he reportedly said on the program. “I’m 75, I’m near the end. I’m a damn sight nearer the end than I am the beginning.
“But it doesn’t frighten me, it’s an adventure and it is quite interesting to see myself slipping away.”
Fans flooded their concerns for the 75-year-old on social media, leading his wife, Pamela Stephenson, to share a video of her husband explaining what he really meant by his comments. In comedic fashion, Billy appeared in an upbeat and musical video, assuring fans that his time wasn’t up yet.
“Not dying, not dead, not slipping away,” he sang, while playing the banjo. “Sorry if I depressed you. Maybe I should have phrased it better.”
Pamela could be heard giggling in the video, which has been praised by fans of the A Series of Unfortunate Events star.
One fan on Twitter wrote: “Please pass on our love and appreciation to Billy from his fellow Glaswegians / Scots. He’s made me laugh all my life. My Ma and Da loved him, my kids love him and all the people I grew up with love him. A comedy genius for the people.”
Another comment read: “No matter how difficult life gets, just watching Billy can lift your spirits and make you laugh. The world is better because he is in it.”
A third person added: “didn’t like when he said he was nearing the end. A world without Billy Connolly is unthinkable.”
Billy had previous explained that a fan, who happened to be a doctor, alerted him to his Parkinson’s. According to an extract of his Made in Scotland book, published by the Daily Mail, the fan noticed him walking with a “strange gait” and told him he thought he had the early onset of Parkinson’s.
The official diagnosis of his disease came the same week he found out he had prostate cancer and that he’d gone deaf. While he admitted to taking medication to control the condition, he said simple activities such as getting out of chairs can be difficult.
Billy was also forced to defend himself last year after TV interviewer Michael Parkinson claimed Billy had been severely impacted by Parkinson’s. Michael suggested Billy’s “wonderful brain has dulled” and that he struggles to recognise close friends.
Both Billy and Pamela blasted the claims and even branded Michael “a daft old fart”.
“I would recognise Parky if he was standing behind me – in a diving suit,” Connolly told The Mirror.
Meanwhile, his 69-year-old-wife said her husband was doing great and that Parkinson didn’t know anything about the current state of her husband’s health.
“Mike Parkinson is a daft old fart – doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” she said. “Billy’s doing great and still funny as hell.”