Sean Connery was in a 'terrible state' before his death as Bond star battled dementia

Sean Connery's close friend has opened up on the famed Scots actor's final days in a new book.

Close friend Brendan Lynch visited the original James Bond star regularly before he passed away in his home in the Bahamas in 2020 at the age of 90.

He was one of the few people who spent time with the legendary actor ahead of his death and sat by his bedside, after the star's wife Micheline Roquebrune asked him to drop in "as much as possible" in the hope it would spark some familiarity.

Brendan, who lived close to the couple, was one of various close friends, sources and former co-stars of Connery who spoke to US author Herbie J. Pilato for the book, entitled Connery, Sean Connery.

He shared his heartbreaking memories of the final days as he said: "I was crying at times to see this mountain of a man — this monumental human achievement in such a terrible state — frail (mentally and physically) unable to carry on a conversation or finish off a sentence.

“To see his body weak and flawed at the end… it was very sad. We tried to have a conversation. I tried to tell him what was going on in the sporting world, despite knowing that he wasn’t actually taking it all in.”

According to his death certificate, the Edinburgh-born acting legend died of “pneumonia, respiratory failure, old age [and] atrial fibrillation” and Micheline also previously stated that her beloved other half had been battling with dementia for two years before his death.

In an extract from the book which has been reported in the New York Post, Lynch recalled: "Because he wasn’t well at all, Micheline did ask me to try and see a bit more of him in the end.

“He didn’t want to have people that he didn’t know hanging around, so I would stop in to visit."

Pilato added to Fox News Digital that the Scots star “had some measure of dementia” when he died “at some beautiful ripe age".

“Dementia is not just a mental issue. You’re affected physically in other ways… It affects everything. So it’s not just the mind. And to see someone who was so strong battling this disease — it was difficult,” he said.

“If anybody looked like a movie star, it was Sean Connery. But towards the end, when he was frail, it was hard to watch. It was hard to see that.”

Connery was surrounded by “sprawling golf courses, near wide-open silky sands and… clear blue Bahamian waters” shortly before his sad passing.

After he died, his son Jason revealed to the BBC that his father had been unwell for some time.

“We are all working at understanding this huge event as it only happened so recently, even though my dad has been unwell for some time,” he said. “A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor.”

We previously reported that Scots racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart revealed he sent his best friend Sean to a top US clinic used by A-listers in a bid to extend the 007 actor’s life. Stewart believes the treatment Sir Sean received at the renowned Mayo Clinic kept him alive for an extra few months – giving him more precious time with family and friends.

Sir Jackie said: “I saw him not long before he died, in the Bahamas. I got him to the Mayo Clinic and we probably kept him for a few more months than he might have had.” Stewart spoke about Connery’s dementia, describing the illness as “a very cruel disease”. He added: “I know this personally, as my wife has had it for several years. It was sad seeing him like that.”

A charity in Connery's name continues to raise funds for causes in Scotland and his adopted home in the Bahamas.

Born and raised in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge area – where he worked as a milkman – he was granted the Freedom of Edinburgh in 1991.

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