Getty McKellen pictured in November 2019.
Ian McKellen, the star of Lord of the Rings, is still alive as of June 19. The death of McKellen’s Lord of the Rings co-star Ian Holm on June 19 led to confusion among movie fans.
Holm’s death was confirmed by the actor’s agent, according to The Guardian. Holm was 88 year old. His agent told the newspaper that Holm died after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. The actor, who also appeared in Alien, Chariots of Fire and Garden State, died at a hospital surrounded by his family.
There have been no reports from the United Kingdom, where McKellen, 81, is based, that the actor has died.
McKellen Said in 2015 That He Was Suffering From Memory Loss
In July 2015, McKellen admitted in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that he was suffering from memory loss and that he had trouble remembering lines. The actor, who was 76 at the time, said:
We all have limitations, don’t we, however old we are. But there are times in life when the memory really does get worse and the mind doesn’t work as it should. And if you were to get to the stage where you couldn’t remember anything at all, well, that would be very distressing. Fortunately, I’m not there yet.
In the same interview, McKellen joked that “age should come with a health warning.”
McKellen Was Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer in 2006
McKellen was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006. McKellen was quoted in his 2019 biography, Ian McKellen: A Biography, telling the Daily Mirror newspaper about the diagnosis:
When you have got it you monitor it and you have to be careful it doesn’t spread. But if it is contained in the prostate it’s no big deal.
You do gulp when you hear the news. It’s like when you go for an HIV test, you go ‘arghhh is this the end of the road?’
McKellen then joked that the interviewer was going to write that the actor was “decrepit,” “can’t see, “can’t pee” and is “having his teeth done.” McKellen is also quoted as saying that around 2006, he also had a lung cancer scare but the “shadows” doctors were seeing around his organs were his nipples.
McKellen added that he does not have treatment for his cancer but that he keeps it monitored. McKellen has written in the past about his vegetarianism.
McKellen Says That He Has Already Planned His Funeral
In the 2017 documentary, McKellen: Playing the Part, McKellen admitted that he has already planned out his funeral. According to The Guardian’s review of the film, McKellen says he planned out his final goodbye while he had an “evening to spare… the most enjoyable evening.” The Daily Mail quoted McKellen as saying in the film that there would be “free admission” to the funeral and that the event would take place in a theater.
McKellen said that after he was done planning his funeral he thought to himself, “Ooh, I’d love to go to that funeral.” McKellen said that he might organize a “dress rehearsal before I go.” He added, “As I see other people getting decrepit and unable to work, I think, well, that may well happen to me… But in the meantime why deny myself the pleasure of rehearsing a play?”
McKellen Had a to Cancel a 2018 Theater Performance After He Was Injured While Running for a Train
GettyMcKellen attends “The Good Liar” photocall at The Corinthia Hotel on October 30, 2019 in London, England. The Good Liar releases in UK cinemas on 8th November. (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Warner Bros)
In July 2018, McKellen apologized to theatergoers after he was forced to cancel a performance when he injured himself while running for a train. At the time, McKellen was performing the title role in King Lear. McKellen said in the tweet that he was diagnosed with a pulled calf muscle. He only had to cancel one performance of the show. Instead, he stood on stage and chatted with the audience. During that conversation, McKellen said that he “tried out a few routines and some old ones – a bit of Gandalf and a couple of Shakespear speeches.”
McKellen said that he continued the run with the aid of a walking stick.
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