Sir Michael Palin says the death of Terry Jones is like "losing a limb".
The ‘Monty Python’ star passed away at the age of 77 on Tuesday (21.01.20) after a long battle with dementia, and his co-star and friend Michael has said he will "miss" his "wonderful companion".
In an emotional BBC interview – which aired on Wednesday (22.01.20) – Michael was seen battling tears as he said: "I shall miss the sociable Terry – sorry – I just miss putting my arm around him and having a drink. He was just a wonderful companion, a terrific man and I shall miss our trips to the bar, I’ll miss our pints and I shall miss our sessions putting the world to rights."
Michael, 76, met Terry at Oxford University in 1962 before they performed together for the first time at Edinburgh Festival two years later, and has explained the pair were "inseparable".
He added: "It’s sort of like losing a limb, you know, I’ve known Terry since I met him at university in 1962 … and were inseparable for many many years after that, and through the Python times.
"And even in the last few years when Terry was doing his thing I was doing my thing, we would still meet up. We were very close friends and I valued Terry’s opinion probably more than any other; he was very, very astute."
The iconic actor spoke fondly of Terry, saying he was a "very warm man", whom Michael considered his "most wonderful friend".
He said: "Terry didn’t do private particularly; Terry was a very warm man, he’d talk to you about absolutely anything so what you see in the characters that he plays – that slightly manic but always rather warm and enthusiastic characters that he used to play – are very much Terry.
"He was the most wonderful friend and just a terrific person to be with, and I wont be the only person who says this – he had an enormous number of friends who loved him dearly."
Michael previously paid tribute to Terry shortly after his passing was announced, when he described the actor as a "kind, generous and supportive" man and a person who was committed to "living life to the full".
In a statement, he said: "Terry was one of my closest, most valued friends. He was kind, generous, supportive and passionate about living life to the full.
"He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation, he was the complete Renaissance comedian – writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children’s author, and the warmest, most wonderful company you could wish to have."
Terry was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, a form of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that impairs the sufferer’s ability to speak and communicate, in 2015.
Sir Michael Palin: Terry Jones’ death is like ‘losing a limb’
