Eric Idle feels lucky every day after surviving cancer
Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness.
In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky.
"I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said.
"I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him.
"You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with.
"I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day."
Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison.
"For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said.
"I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars.
"But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'.
"He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do."
Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus.
A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based.
Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer.
Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness.
In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky.
"I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said.
"I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him.
"You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with.
"I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day."
Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison.
"For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said.
"I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars.
"But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'.
"He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do."
Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus.
A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based.
Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer.
Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness.
In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky.
"I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said.
"I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him.
"You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with.
"I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day."
Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison.
"For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said.
"I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars.
"But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'.
"He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do."
Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus.
A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based.
Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer.
Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness.
In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky.
"I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said.
"I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him.
"You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with.
"I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day."
Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison.
"For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said.
"I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars.
"But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'.
"He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do."
Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus.
A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based.
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Eric Idle feels lucky every day after surviving cancer
Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky. "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. "I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison. "For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said. "I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. "He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based. Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky. "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. "I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison. "For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said. "I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. "He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based. Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky. "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. "I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison. "For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said. "I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. "He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based. Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky. "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. "I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison. "For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said. "I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. "He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based.
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Eric Idle feels lucky every day after surviving cancer
Eric Idle feels lucky "every single day" after surviving pancreatic cancer. Idle, 82, revealed in 2022 that he received an early diagnosis and was successfully treated for the illness. In a Letter To My Younger Self for the Big Issue, the Monty Python star admitted he missed friends who had not been so lucky. "I miss a lot of people. Great people like Mike Nichols," he said. "I will find myself thinking of a funny line and thinking, you must tell Mike that. Or Jonathan Miller. So many of my heroes have gone, like Robin Williams. I still kind of occasionally speak to Billy Connolly, but I really miss him. "You've got to find other people, you know, because there are still other funny people you can have dinner with or play guitar with. "I got lucky, because I had to, I survived pancreatic cancer. So I feel that since 2019 I've had a reprieve. So I don't know or care what people say about me, I'm lucky every single day." Idle also reflected on the difficulty of financing Monty Python's Life Of Brian, which saw the film's creators turn to Beatles star George Harrison. "For a while we had no money ... I went to America to find money," he said. "I had been talking to George Harrison who was a huge fan, and he said, 'I'll phone you in the morning, don't worry'. And I thought, well, nobody's got four and a half million dollars. "But finally, when everybody turned us down, there was a call from him saying, 'I've got you the money'. "He had mortgaged his house and his business and raised the cash and put it all on a Python film. The most extraordinary thing to do." Idle, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam and Sir Michael Palin fronted the ground-breaking sketch show Monty Python's Flying Circus. A huge hit, 45 episodes were made between 1969 and 1974, as well as five films including 1975's The Holy Grail, on which hit musical Spamalot - written by Idle - is based.
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