The most touching tributes paid to late Monty Python star Terry Jones

Thousands of Monty Python fans have taken to Twitter to express their grief at the news that Terry Jones, a founding member of the comedy troupe, has died.

Jones, who was aged 77, had been suffering from a form of dementia that affected his ability to speak since 2015.

Renowned as a performer and director with Monty Python, Jones was also a prolific screenwriter, novelist, respected medieval historian, and occasional poet.

The tributes

Sir Michael Palin led the tributes to his late colleague and friend, calling “an enormous enthusiast.”

“He threw himself into things with such passion and such energy and he really refused to take on things which didn’t excite him and which didn’t feel different from what else was around,” Palin said.

“He was far more than one of the funniest writer-performers of his generation, he was the complete Renaissance comedian - writer, director, presenter, historian, brilliant children’s author, and the warmest, most wonderful company you could wish to have.

“I feel very fortunate to have shared so much of my life with him.”

Fellow Python star John Cleese tweeted, “It feels strange that a man of so many talents and such endless enthusiasm, should have faded so gently away,” adding wryly, “Two down, four to go.”

Eric Idle said that he loved Terry Jones from “the moment I saw him on stage at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963” and recalled the “many laughs, moments of total hilarity onstage and off we have all shared with him.

“It’s too sad if you knew him, but if you didn’t you will always smile at the many wonderfully funny moments he gave us.”

I loved him the moment I saw him on stage at the Edinburgh Festival in 1963. So many laughs,moments of total hilarity onstage and off we have all shared with him. It’s too sad if you knew him,but if you didn’t you will always smile at the many wonderfully funny moments he gave us

— Eric Idle (@EricIdle) January 22, 2020

Tim Robbins

Tim Robbins, who starred in Jones’ 1989 comedy Erik the Viking, called him a “comic genius”.

“A kind, lovely, generous man. And a comic genius who, with the Pythons, defined what comedy could be for my generation. I cherished the time I got to spend with him. Rest In Peace.”

A kind, lovely, generous man. And a comic genius who, with the Pythons, defined what comedy could be for my generation. I cherished the time I got to spend with him. Rest In Peace #TerryJones pic.twitter.com/TqFzZbdwx3

— Tim Robbins (@TimRobbins1) January 23, 2020

Mark Lewisohn

Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn dubbed losing one of the Pythons as “pretty close to losing one of the Beatles”.

“It’s losing someone important in the way you like life to be. Resounding and eternal applause for Terry Jones,” he wrote.

Losing one of the Pythons is really pretty close to losing one of the Beatles. It’s losing someone important in the way you like life to be. Resounding and eternal applause for Terry Jones. pic.twitter.com/jqYiQQB8FJ

— Mark Lewisohn (@marklewisohn) January 22, 2020

One Twitter user saw the silver lining to the shared outpouring of grief for the beloved comedian.