Sir Roger Moore retained his ”stoicism and wit” until the very end of his life.
The British actor, who was best known for playing James Bond in seven feature films, died aged 89 in May this year following a brief cancer battle and his daughter Deborah says her father’s enthusiasm for life was unaffected by his illness.
She explained: ”Just after Christmas he went for some check-ups. That’s when they found it in his lung and liver.
”He started the chemo and the radiotherapy. I went out several times to see him and spent the last three weeks of his life with him. But he kept his stoicism and wit until the very end. I think deep down he must have known he was weakening and wasn’t going to get better.
”But right up until the end he still had his sense of humour and was still joking with the nurses. He never, ever complained. He was amazing.”
Roger, who had recovered from prostate cancer in 1993, admitted he was scared of death in his final book of memories.
And Deborah confessed she found her father’s notes to be ”incredibly poignant”.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: ”I burst into floods of tears when I read his final reflections. It was just so incredibly poignant.
”We didn’t think he was going to die – he didn’t think he was going to die – until the very last week. Dad’s illness came on quite quickly.”
Despite his declining health, the actor managed to complete his final book with the help of his personal assistant.
But Deborah admitted she found it emotional to hear ”Dad’s voice again” through the pages of his book.
She shared: ”I knew he was writing another book, ‘a little piece about the pros and cons of ageing’, he called it, but I never thought for a moment he wouldn’t live to see it published. He managed to finish it with the help of his wonderful PA, Gareth, then I was asked to write the prologue.
”He called it ‘A Bientot’, which means ‘see you soon’ in French. And when I read it … oh my God, it was tough.
”It was hearing Dad’s voice again, his wonderful childlike humour, his optimism and zest for life. I just couldn’t imagine the world without him.”
