Monty Python star Terry Jones diagnosed with dementia
The actor and director will be honoured at the Bafta Cymru awards alongside makeup artist Siân Grigg
Monty Python member Terry Jones is suffering from dementia, it has been revealed.
In a release to announce that the Welsh director and actor will be presented with a special award for Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television at the Bafta Academy Cymru awards, a representative of Jones took the opportunity to address concerns over the star’s ill health.
"Terry has been diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a variant of Frontotemporal Dementia,” a statement read.
“This illness affects his ability to communicate and he is no longer able to give interviews. Terry is proud and honoured to be recognised in this way and is looking forward to the celebrations."
A founding member of groundbreaking comedy troupe Monty Python in 1969, Jones went on to find worldwide fame and success both within the group’s TV series and films and for his own work, which included screenwriting, directing, acting and writing novels.
Most recently he directed 2015 fantastical comedy Absolutely Anything, which starred Simon Pegg alongside surviving Python co-stars John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle (as well as Jones himself) as aliens.
He will be honoured alongside Bafta-winning makeup Artist Siân Grigg at the Bafta Academy Cymru Award ceremony next Sunday 2 October, which will take place in Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.
Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.
