For those that knew Sean Connery, either personally, or simply from his on-screen persona, there is certainly a loss to be felt now that he is gone. The accomplished actor who brought James Bond to the big screen died over the weekend at the age of 90. Since then, remembrances have been pouring in from those that knew him and those that were inspired by him. It's sad that we now live in a world without Sean Connery in it, but the late actor's wife admits that there's some peace in it as well, as Connery's last few months had been a struggle.
Sean Connery's wife of 40-years, Micheline Roquebrune, has revealed that in his last few months of life Sean Connery was dealing with dementia. As such, his quality of life had drastically dimished. And so, as Connery's widow is quoted in the Daily Mail, there is some happiness in the passing as well, as the life he was leading was not what he wanted, and now that pain is over. According to Roquebrune...
It was no life for him. He was not able to express himself latterly. At least he died in his sleep and it was just so peaceful. I was with him all the time and he just slipped away. It was what he wanted...He had dementia and it took its toll on him. He got his final wish to slip away without any fuss.
If the stories are to be believed, and we've heard several of them in the days since Sean Connery's passing, the actor was quite outspoken when it came to making movies. He very publicly clashed with the director of his last film, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and it sounds like that was far from the only time he was honest about what he thought while making a movie. Michael Bay says that he won Connery's approval on the set of The Rock, and the actor used his considerable clout to help out the director because of that.
And knowing that, it's difficult to imagine a Sean Connery who had to struggle to express himself. That's certainly not the man that Micheline Roquebrune knew. It had to have been frustrating for him and those around him. Nobody likes to see the people they love struggling with things beyond their control. Connery's wife says that his final wish was to just slip away, and that's reportedly exactly what happened, and there can be some small happiness in that.
Sean Connery clearly lived life on his terms. He made the movies he wanted to make, and he retired on his own terms, and from all accounts, while he loved acting, he didn't miss it all that much when he was done. His loss will great a mix of emotions in many of us. But for all who were friends, family, or fans, we can be glad he was here, even if he's gone now.
