‘She was the foundation of my life’: Michael Palin announces his beloved wife Helen has died of chronic pain and kidney failure
Michael has announced that his beloved wife Helen has sadly passed away after 57 years after suffering from chronic pain and kidney failure.
The 79-year-old actor confirmed the devastating news in a post shared on his official website on Tuesday, sharing that Helen had died in the early hours of the morning.
He described her as “the foundation of my life” and said her death was an “indescribable loss” for him and their three children – Thomas, 54, William, 52, and Rachel, 48.
Michael and Helen met when they were just 16 and married in 1966 when they were in their early 20s and had recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary.
Announcing the tragic news on his website, Michael wrote: “My dearest wife Helen passed away peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
“She has suffered from chronic pain for several years, which was exacerbated by a diagnosis of kidney failure a few years ago.
“We first met on a summer holiday on the Suffolk coast when we were both sixteen and we married in our early twenties. Two and a half weeks ago we celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary.
Loss: Michael has announced that his beloved wife Helen has sadly passed away from chronic pain and kidney failure
“Her passing is an indescribable loss to me, our three children and four grandchildren.
“Helen was the foundation of my life. Her calm, wise judgment informed all my decisions, and her humor and practical sense were at the heart of our lives together.
“The family asks that their privacy be respected at this time.”