Those close to Jones describe a pattern of erratic behavior as the disease ate him alive. One family source told RadarOnline.com, “Terry could seem fine one moment, then fire off a baffling email in the middle of the night the next. “But you could see it wasn’t malice – it was the illness tightening its grip.”
Another long-time friend said: “Terry was still the host, still the showman, but the words were slipping away from him. People would leave those dinners shocked by how quickly he was fading.”
Ross also sets Jones’ experience in the broader context of frontotemporal dementia, the same condition that has sidelined Willis from acting.
Willis’ family said the former movie hardman had faced increasing language impairment, confusion, and difficulty communicating before he was forced to step away from acting – symptoms mirroring the trajectory charted in Jones’ painful final years.
Jones’ decline was marked by a narrowing world, with him retreating into repeated viewings of his comfort movie, Guys and Dolls, as well as taking familiar walks on familiar paths near his home.
Director Terry Gilliam recalled seeing his old colleague on Hampstead Heath in those years.
“He was dressed immaculately,” he said. “But there was no one at home. He was a shell. A beautiful shell.”
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