Sir Billy Connolly, 81, insists he’s ‘not dead’ in frank Parkinson’s update

Sir Billy Connolly has shared a health update, considering himself blessed to person made it to 81.

The legendary histrion and instrumentalist is present happily enjoying his status in the US, which he’s spending drafting and sportfishing astatine his abode successful the Florida Keys.

Sir Billy was archetypal diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease successful 2013, which came soon aft helium began forgetting his lines during performances.

With some his equilibrium and representation starting to deteriorate, he suffered ‘a mates of superior falls’, starring to him walking with a instrumentality and sometimes utilizing a wheelchair.

In his latest update, which comes aft his woman began dressing him each greeting successful a ‘radical’ beingness change, Sir Billy declares that he’s ‘not yet dormant oregon broken.’

In his caller book, The Accidental Artist, helium reflects connected his tumultuous life.

The erstwhile stand-up comedian took up creation erstwhile helium began drawing portion bored wrong a edifice country successful Montreal, with his publication featuring drawings completed by him implicit the past 12 years to exemplify his experiences.

From puerility trauma to intoxicant addiction to his diagnosis, Sir Billy covers it all, but acknowledges beingness could’ve taken a precise antithetic people had helium contracted an unwellness portion moving successful the Glasgow shipyards arsenic a youngster.

In the book, helium writes: ‘I got diagnosed with Parkinson’s illness and prostate crab the aforesaid week. I got treated for the cancer, and present I look to beryllium ok.

‘The Parkinson’s conscionable rumbles along, doing its thing. It bothered maine for a while, but erstwhile I deliberation astir it, I accidental I’m fortunate I didn’t get thing worse due to the fact that I was a welder.’

Sir Billy goes connected to explain: ‘The diseases they speech astir present owed to welding weren’t known astir erstwhile I was successful the shipyards. They didn’t cognize astir the hazards of asbestos. And men were ever dying successful accidents too.

‘I was successful an mishap myself. I fell disconnected the vessel into the Clyde, dropped 40 feet into 3 feet of h2o and broke my ankle.’

He declares: ‘I’m a fortunate bugger. I survived a batch of s**t – overmuch of it brought connected by myself.

‘I astir apt shouldn’t person escaped, but I did. Maybe what doesn’t termination you f**ks you up for beingness but astatine slightest I’m inactive here. I’m sportfishing happily successful Florida and I’m not yet dormant oregon broken.’

Sir Billy besides writes: ‘I erstwhile ran into the Geordie writer Ian La Frenais successful Tramp nightclub successful London. I was wearing my leather jodhpurs and a leather jacket, pinkish socks and mules.

‘He said, “You cognize what you look like?” I said, “What?” He said, “A welder who got distant with it”.’

Sir Billy moved to Florida aft antecedently surviving successful New York, with doctors advising him to unrecorded successful a warmer climate.

Despite the debilitating quality of his condition, the performer has maintained his humour, antecedently referring to Parkinson’s arsenic ‘a happening I conscionable person to enactment up with’.

Even erstwhile discussing the morbid taxable of death, helium does truthful with jest, having besides written astir what helium wants connected his gravestone.

He said: ‘I was reasoning I’d like, “Jesus Christ, is that the clip already?” connected mine, but my woman Pamela was shaky astir it, truthful we settled on, “You’re lasting connected my balls!” successful tiny wee writing.

‘As for maine – I haven’t made up my caput astir my burial place, but I’m reasoning that alternatively of a headstone, a array connected an land successful Loch Lomond for fishermen to picnic connected would beryllium nice.’

Sir Billy retired officially successful 2018 pursuing a dazzling four-decade vocation successful entertainment.

His wellness woes rendered him incapable to support doing what helium loves as, successful 2021, Sir Billy was gutted not to beryllium capable to play the banjo oregon yodel anymore.

‘It’s conscionable a noise. I can’t yodel anymore. I can’t fume cigars. It’s taken much and much of what I similar – it’s benignant of painful,’ helium shared.

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