Sean Connery was best known for being the first actor to play James Bond.
After retiring from acting, he spent his final years in the Caribbean.
His wife and friend shared details about his last days before he died.
The original 007 agent, Sean Connery, battled an illness before passing. His wife and friend, who were there for him in his final days, shared details of his condition after he died.
Movie actor Sean Connery left behind his wife, Micheline Roquebrune, and his only child, son Jason Connery. Author Herbie J. Pilato detailed his final days in his book, “Connery, Sean Connery.”
The film star’s friend, Brendan Lynch, was also featured in the book, wherein he discussed his declining health before he peacefully took his last breath. Meanwhile, Pilato revealed during an interview:
“[…] If anybody looked like a movie star, it was Sean Connery. But towards the end, when he was frail, it was hard to watch. It was hard to see that.”
During Connery’s ailing days, his spouse had asked Lynch to visit him as often as possible because the Hollywood star did not want people that he barely knew to be around him. Lynch remembered crying after seeing Connery in a “terrible state,” as he was physically and mentally fragile and could not carry a conversation, let alone finish off a sentence. She further stated:
“To see his body weak and flawed at the end… it was very sad.”
Despite his bad health, Lynch attempted to talk to his pal and inform him about the happenings during that time, especially about sports, even though he knew well enough that he could not process everything
.As for Connery’s wife, whom he married in the mid-1970s, she remained by his side throughout his health battle. Pilato explained that the couple’s marriage worked because Roquebrune was not an actress.
Their relationship was solid for the decades they had been together, and she was devoted to him and was there until the end. At the time of his passing, the two were living in the Bahamas, where they settled following Connery’s retirement.
Pilato acknowledged that it must have been difficult for Roquebrune, including Connery’s son, and all those who held the film star dear to them. He added that seeing anyone fall ill and become feeble is difficult.
In the wake of Connery’s death, his beloved wife, a French Moroccan native, paid tribute to him and disclosed how his final days were and the fact that he died peacefully in his sleep:
“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.”
Roquebrune revealed that dementia took its toll on her husband. His wish was to die without any “fuss,” and that was what occurred. The painter reflected on the good life she and Connery shared while describing the showbiz star as a “gorgeous” “model of a man.” “It is going to be very hard without him, I know that. But it could not last forever,” Roquebrune noted about the Scottish native.
Connery died on October 31, 2020, at his home in the Bahamas. Per his death certificate, he reportedly passed away from pneumonia-respiratory failure, atrial fibrillation, and old age. He was 90 years old.
The document also showed that the father of one was a retired actor. Connery gained international fame for portraying the iconic role of James Bond in the successful movie franchise.
He starred in seven Bond films as the original British 007 secret agent, wherein he appeared between 1962 and 1983. The producer was nominated for several awards for his role and won the Golden Laurel in 1966.
In 1985, Connery, who reportedly had a love-and-hate relationship with his onscreen persona until he eventually made peace with it, was nominated for the Jupiter Award for Best International Actor in the action film, “Never Say Never Again” for playing James Bond.
Aside from his much-beloved movie character, the actor also scooped an Oscar Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his stint in the 1987 film, “The Untouchables,” where he starred alongside Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia and Robert De Niro.
The prestigious award was presented to Connery in April 1988 by singer Cher and actor Nicholas Cage at the 60th Academy Awards. During his acceptance speech, he acknowledged that it had been three decades since he first attended the ceremony until that point. “Patience truly is a virtue,” said the winner.
In addition to his accolades, Connery received an American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and confirmed his retirement from acting that year after spending over five decades in the industry.
After he died, his family formed an organization in his honor called The Sean Connery Foundation. According to its website, it “aims to accelerate positive change through strategic grantmaking to institutions in Scotland and the Bahamas.” Connery’s loved ones also set up a dyslexia scheme funded by them in his memory, and children in Edinburgh reportedly benefit from the project.
In addition, the star had been married twice in his lifetime. He was first married to Australian actress Diane Cilento, with whom he welcomed a son, from 1962 to 1973. The former couple’s child was born in January 1963 in Italy and has grown up to become an actor and director. As for Cilento, she died in October 2011.
After his first marriage ended in divorce, Connery wed his second wife, Roquebrune, in 1975. The couple’s paths had initially crossed in 1970 at a golf tournament. Golf was something the couple had in common, and they used to play together in the morning at their home in Lynford Cay after Connery left Hollywood.
A source revealed Roquebrune was “the total package” for Connery. The longtime lovebirds were married for 45 years until his death. She is 94 years old, and her granddaughter shared a glimpse into her birthday celebration in the Bahamas in September 2023 on Instagram.
