Gene Wilder’s family reveal touching final moments: ‘He passed holding our hands’

The Willy Wonka star died earlier this month at the age of 83
Touching moment: Gene Wilder's family detail his final moments
Rex
Jennifer Ruby30 August 2016
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Gene Wilder’s family have revealed the touching moment before he died.

The acting icon, who died at the age of 83 at his home in Stamford, Connecticut earlier this month, was surrounded by friends and family.

In a statement, his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman detailed his final moments, saying that they had been ‘holding hands’ and listening to Ella Fitzgerald.

“He was eighty-three and passed holding our hands with the same tenderness and love he exhibited as long as I can remember,” he said.

“As our hands clutched and he performed one last breath the music speaker, which was set to random, began to blare out one of his favorites: Ella Fitzgerald.

“There is a picture of he and Ella meeting at a London bistro some years ago that are among each our cherished possessions.”

He continued: “She was singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow as he was taken away.”

Wilder’s family announced the news of his death on Monday, following a three-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

A family statement read: “It is with indescribable sadness and blues, but with spiritual gratitude for the life lived that I announce the passing of husband, parent, and universal artist Gene Wilder, at his home in Stamford Connecticut. It is almost unbearable for us to contemplate our life without him.

“The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, with which he co-existed for the last three years.”

Gene Wilder - In pictures

1/16

Tributes from fans and fellow actors poured in following news of Wilder’s death on Monday.

Mel Brooks, who Wilder collaborated with on many occasions, tweeted: “Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time.

"He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in