Terry Jones, 'Monty Python' Star, Dead at 77

Terry Jones
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The British comedian suffered from a form of dementia for years.

Terry Jones, a British comedian, director, screenwriter and author, has died, his agent confirmed to the Associated Press on Wednesday. He was 77.

Jones was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2016. In a statement, his family said he died “after a long, extremely brave but always good-humored battle with a rare form of dementia, FTD.”

Best known as a founding member of the iconic comedy troupe Monty Python, Jones teamed up with Eric Idle, Michael Palin, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam and Graham Chapman in 1969 for the TV sketch Monty Python's Flying Circus and served as a co-director on the 1975 classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail and 1983's Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. He was also the sole director on the 1979 commercial hit, Monty Python's Life of Brian. 

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Jones was nominated for an Emmy in 2004 for his writing on the show Medieval Lives and in 1984, he received a BAFTA nomination for the original song "The Meaning of Life." 

He is survived by his wife, Anna Soderstrom, and his three children, Bill, Sally and Siri. 

As news of his death broke, Jones was honored on social media by colleagues and friends, including several of the surviving members of Monty Python who were quick to share their condolences.  

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