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Sean Connery’s widow reveals she suffered from dementia
Posted: Nov 1, 2020 @ 7:45 pm
Micheline Roquebrune, pictured here in 2003 with her husband, said Connery wanted to ‘sneak away without a hitch.’
LONDON: Iconic British actor Sean Connery, who died at the age of 90, suffered from dementia in his later years, his widow Micheline Roquebrune revealed on Sunday.
Connery, famous for playing the original James Bond on screen, passed away at his home in the Bahamas, prompting a slew of tributes.
He died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family, his widow Micheline Roquebrune told the Mail on Sunday.
“I was with him the whole time and he just ran away,” the 91-year-old told the newspaper.
“He had dementia and it took a toll on him. He got his dying wish to escape without a problem.
“It wasn’t a life for him. He couldn’t express himself later.”
Connery will be honored at a private funeral ceremony, with a memorial event to be held later, according to a publicist.
The actor, who was knighted in 2000, won numerous awards during his decades-long career spanning a variety of big screen hits, including an Oscar, three Golden Globes and two Bafta Awards.
But it was his smooth, Scottish-accented portrayal of the suave 007 spy licensed to kill that earned him lasting fame and adoration around the world.
Connery, the first actor to deliver the unforgettable “Bond, James Bond,” made six official films as the brainchild of novelist Ian Fleming, giving what many still consider the definitive portrait.
Former 007 actor Pierce Brosnan joined the weekend’s rush of tributes to the Scottish actor, who he said “paved the way for all of us who follow in your iconic footsteps.”
“You were my best James Bond as a child, and as a man who became James Bond himself, you cast a long shadow of cinematic splendor that will last forever,” added Brosnan.
‘Man model’
Connery, born in Edinburgh in 1930, married French artist Roquebrune in 1974, a year after divorcing his first wife, Diane Cilento.
The couple met in Morocco in 1970. They had lived outside their native UK for decades, previously owning a home in the Spanish town of Marbella and later in the Bahamas.
In one of the last photographs said to have been taken of the 007 legend, published by the Mail on Sunday, Connery can be seen holding the hand of a smiling Roquebrune.
The photo was taken on the couple’s 45th wedding anniversary on May 6, according to the newspaper.
“It was beautiful and we had a wonderful life together,” said the Tunisian-born widow.
“He was a model of a man. It will be very difficult without him, I know. But he couldn’t last forever and he left in peace.”
