Michael Palin Says Watching Terry Jones Cope with Dementia Has Been 'Painful to Watch'

Michael Palin has been watching his dear friend Terry Jones suffer from dementia.

In a Facebook post, the British actor shared a photo of himself with his Monty Python costar with a sweet message following Jones’s announcement that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of dementia.

“Terry J has been my close friend and workmate for over fifty years,” Palin, 73, wrote. “The progress of his dementia has been painful to watch and the news announced yesterday that he has a type of aphasia which is gradually depriving him of the ability to speak is about the cruellest thing that could befall someone to whom words, ideas, arguments, jokes and stories were once the stuff of life.”

Palin also provided an update about how his friend has been spending his days.

“Not that Terry is out of circulation,” he said. “He spends time with his family and only two days ago I met up with him for one of our regular meals at his local pub. … Terry doesn’t say very much but he smiles, laughs, recognises and responds, and I’m always pleased to see him. Long may that last.”

Palin and Jones, 74, are two of the five surviving members of the famed British cult comedy group, Monty Python. In 2013, the five men reunited and talked about an upcoming project together. Their 2014 reunion show went on to sell out within 43 seconds of going on sale, according to CNN.