Timothy West’s son Samuel has revealed that the actor’s wife, Prunella Scales, “is not well enough to accept” that he has died.
The English actor passed away in his sleep last month at the age of 90, leaving behind his beloved wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella.
But Samuel told him Sunday weather that as a result of her dementia, Prunella, 92, has not been able to fully assimilate that her husband has died.
Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014, but symptoms appeared in early 2021, and her husband Timothy cared for her throughout the process.
On how his mother is coping with Timothy’s death, Samuel said: “All I’m going to say is that she’s not well enough to take it all in.”
Timothy and Prunella married in 1963, 12 years before she played the iconic role with which she would always be associated: that of Sybil Fawlty in the now classic television series Fawlty Towers.
Timothy West’s son Samuel has revealed that the actor’s wife, Prunella Scales, is “not well enough to accept” that he has died (pictured in 2017).
The English actor passed away in his sleep last month at the age of 90, leaving behind his beloved wife, Fawlty Towers star Prunella (pictured in 1986).
They worked together on several stage shows and in 2014 began the hugely popular Channel 4 television show, Great Canal Journeys, in which they indulged in their shared love of traveling and browsing in narrow ships through Europe, Egypt and India.
But four years ago, the couple announced they were leaving the show due to Prunella’s deteriorating memory and hearing loss.
His short-term memory has been severely affected by his dementia and he frequently cannot remember things he did or said a few minutes earlier, Timothy revealed at the time.
At the time the couple met, Timothy had just ended his five-year marriage to actress Jacqueline Boyer, with whom he had a daughter, Juliet.
His relationship with Prunella, in 1963, would last more than six decades, such was the moving force of their mutual commitment.
Timothy documented his story in Pru & Me: A Love Story, a book published last year for his diamond anniversary.
It was on the set of the period television drama She Died Young, which Prunella would describe as “a terrible play”, that the burgeoning acting couple fell in love in 1961 and began a romantic tradition they would maintain for the rest of their lives.
On last year’s Loose Women, Timothy revealed that when he and Prunella were between takes, they passed the time doing crosswords and writing letters to each other.
But Samuel told The Sunday Times that, as a result of her dementia, Prunella, 92, has not been able to fully come to terms with the fact that her husband has passed away (pictured in December 2023).
Prunella was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014, but symptoms appeared in early 2021, and her husband Timothy cared for her throughout the process (pictured in 1991).
He said: ‘Pru and I had some free time. We spent a lot of time doing crossword puzzles and writing letters to each other.
“This is something that has happened our entire lives.”
The distinguished actor continued: ‘We love writing letters about something the other person might have missed or not fully understood. We would make each other laugh and we would make each other discover things.
The couple welcomed two sons: Joseph (Joe) and actor Samuel.
Prunella’s big break in acting came in the early 1960s comedy Marriage Lines opposite Richard Briers, before landing the role of overbearing wife Sybil in Fawlty Towers.
It was around this time that Timothy also began to build his career, having already established himself on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing such iconic roles as Shylock, Falstaff (accompanied by his son Samuel as Hal on tour and at the Old Vic) and Macbeth.
He also played King Lear four times over four decades.
But in 1975 he became a household name on the small screen with the major television series Edward VII, in which he played the title role from the age of 23 until the king’s death. In 2013 he moved into soap operas, starring in EastEnders.
Timothy West and Prunella Scales with their sons Joseph and Samuel in 1975
Timothy West and Prunella Scales seen together at their wedding in 1963
But those who knew Timothy best recognize that the only roles that were important to him were those of devoted husband and father.
That became even more evident after Prunella was formally diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014, although the signs of her illness were already there long before.
Timothy revealed in his book that the actress had kept forgetting her lines during a 2003 production of Oscar Wilde’s A Woman Of No Importance at the Theater Royal Haymarket in London’s West End.
“Dropping out would have devastated her,” he wrote. “Very reluctantly, she was persuaded to use prompters, or ‘idiot boards’ as she called them, which were placed around the stage (out of sight of the audience).”
In an interview with the BBC last year, Timothy said he remembered every word of that life-changing moment when the doctor finally diagnosed his condition: “We went to see a specialist who said, ‘I’m sorry, this is something that’s bothering you.’ “It happens when you’re older and it won’t be easier, but you can deal with it, don’t let it get you down.”
WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia is a general term used to describe a variety of neurological disorders.
A GLOBAL CONCERN
Dementia is a general term used to describe a variety of progressive neurological disorders (those affecting the brain) that affect memory, thinking and behavior.
There are many types of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common.
Some people may have a combination of different types of dementia.
Regardless of which type is diagnosed, each person will experience dementia in their own way.
Dementia is a global concern, but is seen more frequently in wealthier countries, where people are likely to live to a very old age.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED?
The Alzheimer’s Society reports that there are currently more than 900,000 people living with dementia in the UK. This number is expected to increase to 1.6 million by 2040.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting between 50 and 75 percent of those diagnosed.
In the United States, there are an estimated 5.5 million Alzheimer’s patients. A similar percentage increase is expected in the coming years.
As a person’s age increases, their risk of developing dementia also increases.
Diagnosis rates are improving, but it is believed that many people with dementia are still undiagnosed.
IS THERE A CURE?
There is currently no cure for dementia.
But new medications can slow its progression and the earlier it is detected, the more effective the treatments can be.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society