Terry Jones<\/strong> \u2014 beloved comedy icon and founding member of the \u201cMonty Python\u201d comedy troupe \u2014 has died after battling dementia.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Jones died Tuesday with his wife, Anna Soderstrom<\/strong>, by his side, according to his family. He\u2019d been diagnosed in recent years with primary progressive aphasia \u2014 a rare form of dementia that left him unable to speak.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Terry\u2019s family says, \u201cOver the past few days his wife, children, extended family and many close friends have been constantly with Terry as he gently slipped away at his home in North London.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n \u201cWe have all lost a kind, funny, warm, creative and truly loving man whose uncompromising individuality, relentless intellect and extraordinary humour has given pleasure to countless millions across six decades.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n Jones is known for playing a variety of roles for \u201cMonty Python,\u201d including female characters often with hilarious falsetto voices. Terry\u2019s the one who screamed the iconic line in 1979\u2019s \u2018Life of Brian\u2019 \u2026 \u201cHe\u2019s not the Messiah, he\u2019s a very naughty boy,\u201d while playing the mother of the title character.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The line was twice voted the funniest in film history in the UK.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Along with starring in Monty Python \u2014 though rarely receiving the same acclaim as the other members \u2014 he also directed the famous movies \u201cMonty Python and the Holy Grail\u201d with Terry Gilliam<\/strong> and \u2018The Meaning of Life\u2019 and \u2018Life of Brian\u2019 on his own.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n He was regarded in the comedy group as its passionate heart \u2026 who drove the early innovation on its BBC show that led to stardom \u2014 \u201cMonty Python\u2019s Flying Circus.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n After his Monty Python success, Jones also became a prolific children\u2019s author who published 20 fiction novels, including \u201cFairy Tales\u201d and \u201cThe Saga of Erik the Viking.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n He continued to write for the big screen, as well, famously penning the family comedy, \u201cMr. Toad\u2019s Wild Ride\u201d \u2014 which he costarred in with Steve Coogan<\/strong> and his Python pals Eric Idle<\/strong> and John Cleese<\/strong> \u2014 and the David Bowie<\/strong><\/a> movie, \u201cLabyrinth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n His most recent work included the 2012 film, \u201cA Liar\u2019s Autobiography: The Untrue Story of Monty Python\u2019s Graham Chapman\u201d which was codirected by his son, Bill<\/strong>, and the sci-fi comedy \u201cAbsolutely Anything\u201d in 2014 \u2026 which featured all the living MP members and Robin Williams<\/strong><\/a> in his final movie role.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Terry was 77.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n RIP<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n