Peter Kay says his hero Billy Connolly, 82, is ‘not so good’ amid Parkinson’s disease battle as he shares sad health update

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I was really saddened to hear Peter Kay talking about Billy Connolly’s health recently. He said Billy isn’t doing so well, and it broke my heart. It’s just so tough knowing he’s still battling Parkinson’s disease, and it’s clearly taking a toll.

The 82-year-old comedian received a diagnosis of a progressive illness in 2013 and stopped performing five years after that.

During a recent interview at the Lyric Theatre, 52-year-old Peter shared that he still communicates with Billy Connolly. He mentioned that Billy isn’t doing well health-wise, but still sends messages now and then.

He’s had a huge impact on comedy in this country. Many comedians wouldn’t be where they are today without his influence, and you can really see his style in a lot of their work. It’s remarkable.

Billy generally avoids public attention, but he recently made a rare public appearance to receive an award last month.

He was the special guest at the Key West Film Festival in Florida, and his acceptance speech for the artistic excellence award had the audience roaring with laughter.

Using a cane and wearing blue pants, Sir Billy rose to accept the blue, water droplet-shaped award from actor Steve Buscemi.

With heartfelt emotion, he addressed the crowd, explaining, ‘I use a cane because I’m living with a serious illness.’

I’m so happy to be here with all of you tonight! I don’t usually participate in events like this, but I’m really enjoying myself.

I’m so grateful to receive this award! It’s… well, it’s a lovely blue object. I’m really happy, and I’ll be sure to display it with my other awards.

Last year, Billy issued a health update in which he said being sick feels ‘strange’.

In a February interview with GB News, he described being sick as a disorienting experience, explaining that ‘it’s strange when everyone else is fine, and you’re the one who’s not feeling well – it feels like you’re out of sync with everything.’

Billy revealed he has suffered ‘serious falls’ as the symptoms of his Parkinson’s disease worsen.

During an interview with his wife, Pamela Stephenson, he revealed his balance is declining, leading to a couple of significant falls, as she described them.

The man from Glasgow described how the illness was developing, explaining that it was hard to notice changes because his symptoms would appear and disappear.

Okay, so things have been… weird lately. I’ve been falling over more, which is so not me! I used to be totally steady, but for the past year, it’s just been getting worse and worse. It’s not going away, and honestly, it’s really starting to freak me out. I’m just hoping it’s nothing serious, but it’s definitely a change I’ve noticed.

I’d hoped the shaking would disappear, especially since other symptoms have faded on their own. But it’s back, proving the initial assessments wrong.

Known as the Big Yin, Billy began his career as a welder in Glasgow’s shipyards before becoming a folk singer.

Realizing the audience loved his jokes and conversations between songs even more than the songs themselves, he decided to switch to a career in comedy.

Throughout the 1970s, his anarchic and expletive-laden humour catapulted him to global fame.

He later starred in a string of films and presented a long list of TV shows.

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2025-12-02 19:18