David Attenborough previously revealed that when he dies he hopes it will be a “quick process”.
For more than 70 years, Sir David, 99, has entertained and educated the nation, thanks to his award-winning nature documentaries – including Kingdom, which is on today (November 23).
Earlier this year, though, he sparked concern following a heartbreaking “end of life” statement. But that’s not the only time David has spoken about the prospect of a world where he’s not around…
David Attenborough’s heartbreaking death confession
In 2021, David was interviewed by Anderson Cooper for CBS News. During their chat, David spoke about death and what he fears the most.
“What are you most fearful of at this moment?” Anderson asked, to which David replied: “Becoming helpless and gaga.”
David was then asked if he was scared of death. He said: “No. Not for the process, I’d just like it to be a quick process, thanks very much.”
As for what moment David would want to relive, he shared: “First time seeing the coral reef. Watching a hummingbird. Sitting alongside a gorilla. Holding my firstborn baby.”
David’s health issues
David turned 99 earlier this year. And, just like the rest of us, he has faced some health issues. He’s had a pacemaker since 2013, and underwent knee replacement surgery on both knees in 2015.
Meanwhile, in 2016, David admitted he was “coming to terms” with the memory loss that so often comes with old age. The TV icon explained it was taking him longer to write scripts because the “proper names” of things were getting harder to remember.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, David confessed he slowed down production on Blue Planet II because of his forgetfulness. The BBC star noticed his memory lapse while he was trying to recall the name of a flower. This was during a trip to Jura Mountains in Switzerland.
“There were these searing yellow fields, and I can’t think of the damn name,” he said.
David, who at the time of the interview was 90, added: “I wanted to say something about it, but I couldn’t, and it wasn’t until we got quite close to Geneva that I thought, of course, oil seed rape.”
Read more: Sir David Attenborough on ‘nasty’ surgery after shock heart op: ‘I’m not going through that again’
Watch Kingdom on Sunday (November 23) at 2:15pm on BBC One.
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