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Monty Python Star Terry Jones Diagnosed With Dementia, Rep Reveals

By Pam Wright
Published on: 03:28 PST, Sep 23, 2016

Monty Python star Terry Jones has been diagnosed with dementia.

A representative for the 74-year-old Welsh comedian said Jones has been diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a variant of Frontotemporal Dementia.

The disease is affecting his ability to communicate, his rep said, according to the BBC.

“Terry has been diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a variant of Frontotemporal Dementia. This illness affects his ability to communicate and he is no longer able to give interviews.”

The announcement came days before his scheduled appearance at the 25th British Academy Cymru awards on Oct. 2, where he will receive a special Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television award.

“Terry is proud and honored to be recognized in this way and is looking forward to the celebrations.”

Organizers say they are hoping he will still be able to attend the ceremony at St David’s Hall in Cardiff.

Jones will be accompanied by a family representative but is not expected to speak at the event, according to The Telegraph.

Terry Jones is known for his quirky and genius comedic work with the 1970s legendary troop of British comedians known as Monty Python, which included Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and the late Graham Chapman.

The group got their start when they banded together in 1969 and wrote and performed on the television show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, until 1974.

A comedian, writer, actor and historian, Jones directed The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life and co-directed Monty Python and the Holy Grail, alongside fellow troop member, Terry Gilliam.

Apart from his work with Monty Python, Jones has appeared in a number of films including Jabberwocky and Erik the Viking.

Renowned as a writer and documentarian, Jones has composed operas, written short stories, and recently completed his latest novel The Tyrant & the Squire, which completes a trilogy, according to his crowd-funding publisher, Unbound.

“Completing this trilogy has meant a great deal to Terry and we’d love to be able to present a finished copy to him in time for his 75th birthday next February.”

Jones married his second wife, Anna Soderstrom, in a London ceremony and became a father for a third time to daughter Siri when he was 69.

He was previously married to his wife of 42 years, Alison Telfer, which whom he had two children.

Hannah Raybould, director of Bafta Cymru, a pre-awards party held ahead of the Cymru awards show, praised Jones’ work in a statement.

“We are very much looking forward to celebrating the work of Terry Jones during the ceremony with a look back at his work from 1969 to the present day.”

The British National Aphasia Association describes Primary Progressive Aphasia as “a neurological syndrome in which language capabilities become slowly and progressively impaired.”

“It commonly begins as a subtle disorder of language, progressing to a nearly total inability to speak, in its most severe stage.”

In 1988, fellow Python Graham Chapman made a routine visit to a dentist, who found a small, but malignant tumor on one of his tonsils. The following year, cancer had spread and despite treatment the comedian died in 1989.

In 2014, the surviving members of Monty Python reunited for reunion performances at the O2 Arena in London.

[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Images]

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