Michael Palin announces his beloved wife Helen has died

‘She was the foundation of my life’: Michael Palin announces his beloved wife Helen has passed away after suffering from chronic pain and kidney failure

Michael has announced that his beloved wife of 57 years Helen has sadly passed away after suffering from chronic pain and kidney failure.

The actor, 79, confirmed the devastating news in a post shared on his official website on Tuesday, sharing that Helen had passed away in the early hours of the morning.

He described her as the “foundation of my life” and said her death was an “indescribable loss” to himself and their three children – Thomas, 54, William, 52, and Rachel, 48.

Michael and Helen met when they were just 16 years old and married in 1966 in their early twenties, recently marking their 57th wedding anniversary.

Announcing the tragic news on his website, Michael wrote: ‘My dearest wife Helen passed away peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

“She had been suffering from chronic pain for several years, which was exacerbated by a kidney failure diagnosis a few years ago.

‘We first met on a summer holiday on the Suffolk coast when we were both sixteen and we got married in our early twenties. Two and a half weeks ago we celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary.

Loss: Michael has announced that his beloved wife Helen has sadly passed away after suffering from chronic pain and kidney failure

“Her death is an indescribable loss to myself, our three children and four grandchildren.

“Helen was the foundation of my life. Her quiet wise judgment was the basis of all my decisions and her humor and practical common sense were at the heart of our life together.

“The family asks that their privacy be respected at this time.”