Comedian Billy Connolly Is Improving After Cancer Surgery

Beloved standup comedian and actor Billy Connolly has been quietly battling health problems for the past few months, but thanks to an aggressive, hands-on medical approach and a determined spirit, he seems to be on the mend. In fact, the comedian will follow through with plans to both shoot a television series in the coming months, as well as embark on an extensive tour of New Zealand.

According to The Guardian, Connolly’s health problems basically fall into two camps. First, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and second, he’s begun showing early signs of Parkinson’s Disease. To deal with the first issue, he recently flew to the United States and had surgery. Fortunately, the procedure was a raging success, and there’s every reason to hope he won’t have any prostate problems in the future. To deal with the second issue, he’s been taking medication regularly to try and limit the tremors, memory loss and other Parkinson’s related concerns.

At seventy-years-old, Connolly has every right to slow down and rest on everything he’s already accomplished, but obviously, he’s not interested in doing that. He loves being on stage and making people laugh too much, and I’m sure, like Michael J Fox, he feels a determination to prove he can battle through the obstacles that come his way. Connolly could be called a lot of things, but a quitter definitely isn’t one of them.

Because of the incredible influence he had on an entire generation of European comics, Connolly will likely always be remembered as a standup first, but his movie career is also brilliant. He’s skillfully played a ton of key supporting roles in great movies and probably will continue to do so until he officially checks out.

Pop Blend’s sincerest well-wishes go out to Connolly and his family during this time of need. Here’s to hoping he keeps receiving the best medical care possible and stays in relatively good health for decades to come.