Billy Connolly has had surgery for prostate cancer and has symptoms of parkinson's.

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 251
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    I hope he doesnt die yet, he as funny doing those oxo adverts with his family
  • TrebleKingTrebleKing Posts: 2,390
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    So sad to hear this- and like another poster, I too thought of his gag about the prostate check at the doctors. I'm sure he had a laugh about that himself. :p

    I must say, I went to see him in Bournemouth last year, and found him to be a shadow of his former self. 'Rambling' was the word I'd use to describe his performance. And yes, while his stand-up has always been disjointed and full of tangents, this was different. I felt at that point he should hang up his boots and focus on family time or whatever he wanted to do. He's of a generation who should realise that their time is up- along with Paul McCartney- but I hope his determination to keep touring doesn't result in a very public loss of dignity.

    In his hey-day he was wonderful; I'm a Glaswegian, and my family could relate so strongly to humour. Today, he has a worthy successor in the fab Kevin Bridges. Above all else I'm glad I got to see him live, but without a doubt he was at his strongest in the 70s and 80s.

    May he take some recovery time and just focus on getting better. Orra best Big Yin.

    To be honest, he's been a shadow of himself for years now. As you say in the 70s and 80s he was absolutely brilliant. His stuff in the latter part of the 90s and up until now has been extremely patchy bordering on woeful at times.
  • BBKateBBKate Posts: 369
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    I hope he doesnt die yet, he as funny doing those oxo adverts with his family

    are you being a pratt or what ? my mom has just been diagnosed with vascular parkinsons with dementia so this is funny some how ?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,548
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    I so hope the big yin is ok.
  • Tulip19Tulip19 Posts: 3,076
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    From PopBitch today:
    Sad news about Billy Connolly
    fighting cancer and Parkinson's.
    Film crew from the Mrs Brown set
    remember him fondly. On the coldest
    day of the year, all of the actors
    understandably scuttled into their
    trailers between sets. Except Billy,
    who stayed out to do stand-up for
    the extras, have lunch with them
    and sign autographs.
  • Susie_WilcoxSusie_Wilcox Posts: 1,014
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    His behaviour when he was in Ireland some months back when he verbally abused a female journalist at a press do indicated to me that something was amiss. Personally I suspected at the time that early onset Alzheimers might be his problem because he really behaved totally out of character in that situation and around the same time he confessed he was having trouble remembering his gags. Sad:( .
  • InspirationInspiration Posts: 62,694
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    edited 21/08/18 - 12:30 #33
    I see Parky is being attacked from all corners for daring to suggest his friend may have struggled to recognise him. Comments such as this:

    "We were speaking with his wife only today and she is pretty sure that Billy has no more problem recognising old friends than anyone else of his age who has lived abroad for years."

    Along with suggestions that he's "as funny as ever". The reality is Parkinson's has nothing to do with being funny and is a very real illness that does cause memory issues over time. What Parky said wasn't insulting nor insensitive. It's the reality of the situation. And these comments in response almost strike me as collective burying of heads in sand which does more damage than good.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/21/daft-michael-parkinson-wrong-billy-connollys-brain-has-not/
  • The PrumeisterThe Prumeister Posts: 22,398
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    I see Parky is being attacked from all corners for daring to suggest his friend may have struggled to recognise him. Comments such as this:

    "We were speaking with his wife only today and she is pretty sure that Billy has no more problem recognising old friends than anyone else of his age who has lived abroad for years."

    Along with suggestions that he's "as funny as ever". The reality is Parkinson's has nothing to do with being funny and is a very real illness that does cause memory issues over time. What Parky said wasn't insulting nor insensitive. It's the reality of the situation. And these comments in response almost strike me as collective burying of heads in sand which does more damage than good.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/21/daft-michael-parkinson-wrong-billy-connollys-brain-has-not/



    Perhaps not.

    But it is not his place to comment on his friend's afflictions without permission - which he clearly didn't have.
  • dodradedodrade Posts: 23,681
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    I see Parky is being attacked from all corners for daring to suggest his friend may have struggled to recognise him. Comments such as this:

    "We were speaking with his wife only today and she is pretty sure that Billy has no more problem recognising old friends than anyone else of his age who has lived abroad for years."

    Along with suggestions that he's "as funny as ever". The reality is Parkinson's has nothing to do with being funny and is a very real illness that does cause memory issues over time. What Parky said wasn't insulting nor insensitive. It's the reality of the situation. And these comments in response almost strike me as collective burying of heads in sand which does more damage than good.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/21/daft-michael-parkinson-wrong-billy-connollys-brain-has-not/

    Parky has no reason to lie about an old friend, the denials are reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's family unconvincingly playing down the severity of his condition.
  • mark_sewellmark_sewell Posts: 791
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    I went off him when he made jokes about the middle east hostage who sadly was decapitated by his captors. He was extremely funny back in the day. I;m sorry he's ill.
  • ScrabhorScrabhor Posts: 327
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    edited 24/08/18 - 11:47 #37
    I went off him when he made jokes about the middle east hostage who sadly was decapitated by his captors. He was extremely funny back in the day. I;m sorry he's ill.

    Agreed, he stepped over the line that day and lost my respect, fairly shameful.

    I'm inclined to belive Parky than Pamela, who says he's as sharp as ever.
    Well she would, wouldn't she ?.

    His TV show for the BBC last year where he sat for various portrait artists showed him slow in movement and
    speech with many awkward silences and pauses, most unlike the Billy of old.



  • cris182cris182 Posts: 9,595
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    Scrabhor wrote: »
    I went off him when he made jokes about the middle east hostage who sadly was decapitated by his captors. He was extremely funny back in the day. I;m sorry he's ill.

    Agreed, he stepped over the line that day and lost my respect, fairly shameful.

    I'm inclined to belive Parky than Pamela, who says he's as sharp as ever.
    Well she would, wouldn't she ?.


    His TV show for the BBC last year where he sat for various portrait artists showed him slow in movement and
    speech with many awkward silences and pauses, most unlike the Billy of old.



    From experience seeing someone everyday you don't often notice how sever the change is, Go a while without seeing them and you notice it more drastically as may have happened here
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