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Billy Connolly has spoken about his “fascination” with death, from watching funeral processions to thinking about where he would like to be buried.
The Scottish comedian and actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, the same year he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and has been open about the challenges that has presented.
He details these struggles in his forthcoming book, The Accidental Artist, which also recounts how he managed to overcome the worst of his despairing thoughts.
“I have always been fascinated with death,” he told The Observer. “I used to go and look at funerals that went by. There’s no advice for that kind of thing. You just have to go in with it.”
Connolly, 81, also revealed that he is still deliberating over his burial place, but thinks that “instead of a headstone, a table on an island in Lock Lomond for fisherman to picnic on would be nice”.
In his book, he writes that he has spoken with his wife, psychologist Pamela Stephenson Connolly, about the message he would like on his gravestone (should he decide to have one).
“I was thinking I’d like, ‘Jesus Christ, is that the time already?’ on mine, but my wife Pamela was shaky about it, so we settled on ‘You’re standing on my balls!’ in tiny wee writing,” he joked.
Connolly opened up about his life and career in a recent series, titled In My Own Words, which aired on BBC One earlier this month.
The special’s synopsis said: “With unflinching honesty and brilliant humour, Sir Billy looks back on his triumphs and failings as an entertainer, husband and father.”
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In his book, Connolly apparently observes how death, while still considered something of a taboo subject, is a big business: “It’s a $21bn-a-year industry in the US. I visited a pet cemetary where a burial for a guinea pig cost $500 for the plot, $350 for the coffin and $1,000 for the marble headstone.”
He was given the all-clear from cancer in 2013, after receiving treatment.
Speaking about how he dealt with the news, the comedian told The Mirror: “You just confront it and make decisions based on it. You just have to think ‘Don’t think you are being badly treated [by life] or you have the bad pick of the straws. You are one of millions. Just behave yourself and relax.”
Connolly’s book The Accidental Artist will be released on 24 October.
