Monty Python Comedian Reveals Wife of Almost 60 Years Has Died

A member of the Monty Python comedy troupe and legendary comedian Michael Palin is mourning the loss of his beloved wife, Helen Gibbins, after announcing that she passed away.

The 79-year-old actor shared the news on his personal website, writing, "My dearest wife Helen died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning. She had been suffering with chronic pain for several years, which was compounded a few years ago by a diagnosis of kidney failure."

"Her death is an indescribable loss for myself, our three children and four grandchildren," the statement went on.

Palin also shared a few meaningful words about his relationship with Gibbins, revealing that they celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary only two-and-a-half weeks prior.

He added: "We first met on a summer holiday on the Suffolk coast when we were both sixteen and we married in our early twenties...Helen was the bedrock of my life. Her quietly wise judgment informed all my decisions and her humour and practical good sense was at the heart of our life together."

The statement ended with a request for privacy for the family. Along with Palin, Gibbins is survived by the couple's three children, Thomas, William, and Rachel, and their four grandchildren.

Commenting on fame and his life with Gibbins, Palin said in an interview with The Independent in 2012, "Fame really is a trap. When I start complaining about this, Helen quite rightly says, 'Well, here's an idea: don't make another 10-part television series.' But fame would cut anybody off from the kind of things that I like to do."

Palin is well known for his travel documentaries and work with the comedy group Monty Python, producing the sketch comedy TV series, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and movies like Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python's Life of Brian.

The original founding members included Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, and Terry Jones.

Jones passed away in 2020 at the age of 77, while Chapman died in 1989 at the age of 48, on the eve of Monty Python's 20th anniversary.