Billy Connolly opens up about his friendship with late actor Robin Williams
He saw him just days before he died
Last updated 30th Aug 2024
Scottish comedian Billy Connolly stars in a brand new documentary series called In My Own Words, which explores the life and work of some of the UK’s leading cultural figures.
In one episode, set to air later this year, Billy opens up about the failure of his first marriage, his friendship with the late actor Robin Williams, his childhood and living with Parkinson's Disease.
Remembering the last time he saw the Mrs Doubtfire actor, Billy said they enjoyed dinner together. "It was a lovely thing to meet him and think, I’m not alone, there’s other people trying to be funny but without telling jokes," Billy explained.
"When he took his life it was the saddest day. He phoned me and said 'let’s have dinner', and during the dinner he said, 'I love you', I said, 'thanks very much'. He said, 'do you believe me?', I said, 'of course I do'. He said, 'believe me, I love you', I said, 'that’s great', I thought how weird, how weird for him to say that, it’s not like his usual. He was dead on the weekend."
Billy went on to say: "I always felt that was him saying goodbye. It was a sad day in my life because I saw his whole career and it was stunning. He was like a rocket-ship, just took off. He was the best ever."
Robin Williams sadly committed suicide back in 2014 at the age of 63. He was best-known for his roles in Good Will Hunting, Good Morning, Vietnam and the 1992 version of Aladdin.
Speaking about living with Parkinson's, which he was diagnosed with a decade ago, Billy said: "Just confront it and stick to the front of it and be with it. Make decisions based on it. Don’t think you’ve been badly treated, that you’ve got the bad pick of the straws.
"It’s not like that, you’re one of millions, just behave yourself, relax. You realise it isn’t the big thing it’s made out to be, death. It’s nothing, it’s a sudden nothing."
In My Own Words will be available weekly on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 2nd September. Along with Billy Connolly, episodes will feature artist Alison Lapper, author Jilly Cooper, poet and novelist Jackie Kay, and playwright, screenwriter and author Hanif Kureishi.
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