Hollywood’s industry bible Variety mistakenly published Terry Gilliam’s obituary, but the Monty Python star responded in a typically Monty Python fashion by mocking the report.
Variety’s pre-prepared obituary was published on Tuesday September 8, with the headline: “Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam, director of Brazil, dies at XXX”.
Terry Gilliam dead? Did somebody press the publish button on the wrong post? pic.twitter.com/LyiB3Z64pR
— Sean Fitzgerald (@SeanDFitzgerald) September 8, 2015
It was live for several hours before someone at the website corrected the mistake.
CORRECTION: Variety incorrectly published an article stating that director Terry Gilliam passed away. We're deeply sorry for the mistake.
— Variety (@Variety) September 8, 2015
The 74-year-old film-maker took to Facebook and, in a very Pythonesque way, “apologised for being dead”.
After Variety’s blunder went viral, Twitter exploded with Monty Python fans posting references to the comedy gang’s famous Dead Parrot sketch.
Monty Python's Terry Gilliam is not dead. He's resting… he's stunned… he's pining for the fjords.
— Mark Humphries (@humphriesmark) September 8, 2015
He's pining for the fjords. #obligatoryPythonReference. https://t.co/6MA2UwO7wP
— Harold Lepidus (@DylanExaminer) September 10, 2015
Anyone see #Variety's premature announcement of #TerryGilliam's death? He wasn't dead, he was just pining for the fjords! #DeadParrott…
— Prop Store (@propstore_com) September 10, 2015
Terry Gilliam is probably just pining for the fjords.
— Ben Silverman (@ben_silverman) September 8, 2015
Phew! Terry Gilliam is not an ex-opera director #deadparrot #WeLoveTerryG @TerryGilliam https://t.co/X6fPzI3RJf
— EnglishNationalOpera (@E_N_O) September 9, 2015
An alive and well Terry Gilliam is releasing autobiography Gilliamesque on Thursday October 1. He will follow this up with some talks on the memoir (referenced in his Facebook post) later in the same month in New York and London.