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How did Sean Connery die? False COVID-19 rumors spark on the Internet

The ‘You Only Live Twice’ actor turned 90 this August and as per reports, the deadly coronavirus forced him to celebrate a lockdown birthday

The world is mourning the loss of another legend. Thrilling movie buffs with a license to kill, Sean Connery was once named “Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure.” The first actor to spill magic on screen as James Bond, he died “peacefully in his sleep” in the Bahamas after a long illness. A major shock to fans from all across the world, the news sparked much anguish on the Internet. 

Calling him the nation's “best-loved sons,” Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said, “I was heartbroken to learn this morning of the passing of Sir Sean Connery. Our nation today mourns one of her best-loved sons. Sean will be remembered best as James Bond – the classic 007 – but his roles were many and varied. He was a global legend but, first and foremost, a patriotic and proud Scot – his towering presence at the opening of the Scottish Parliament and in 1999 showed his love for the country of his birth.”

Paying an emotional tribute to her “gorgeous ... model of a man” who suffered from dementia, Moroccan-French painter Micheline Roquebrune — Sean Connery’s wife of over 45 years — told Daily Mail, “It was no life for him. He was not able to express himself latterly. At least he died in his sleep and it was just so peaceful. I was with him all the time and he just slipped away. It was what he wanted. He had dementia and it took its toll on him. He got his final wish to slip away without any fuss.”
 
She then added, “He was gorgeous and we had a wonderful life together. He was a model of a man. It is going to be very hard without him, I know that. But it could not last forever and he went peacefully.” Talking about the memorial service, Roquebrune said, “We have not decided what to do. That is something we will talk about soon but he will be cremated in the Bahamas, which is what he wanted.”

The ‘You Only Live Twice’ actor turned 90 this August and as per reports, the deadly coronavirus forced him to celebrate a lockdown birthday. As the word spread on social media, false rumors started doing the rounds as people wondered if COVID-19 had a role to play in his ill health.  

“This is sad news. Not to type-cast him as an actor: however there will never be another “007” as iconic as Sean Connery. I also wouldn’t be surprised if it was considered a COVID fatality,” one said and another posted, “NO! But Sean Connery just died! Was he a COVID-19 victim???????” A third fan wrote, “I just said to the wife, shit, Sean Connery’s died. She said, what of, Covid? No, I said, Old Age! End of story.”

Many others spelled out the facts and clarified that it wasn't Covid-19 that took his life. “Sean Connery was 90 years old. That's a long journey and what a fantastic ride he had. He died in his sleep in the Bahamas. If he had died with covid-19 the internet would melt. #RIPSeanConnery,” one said. Another posted, “Apparently Sean Connery didn’t test positive for covid within 28 days of his death.” A third wondered, “Beyond sad. Is Sean Connery the first celebrity to have died without Covid-19 this year???”

Back in 2003, Connery gave an interview to Michael Parkinson and said he and his wife “felt closer to three [years old] in their 70s.” He said, “Things come out in the paper and people talk about the 'elderly' and what have you and they are in their sixties,” adding, “Well, where does that put us?” Having worked in Hollywood for many decades, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.

Survived by his wife and his son from ex-wife, Jason Connery, he will be cremated in the Bahamas and a memorial service will be held at a later date, the venue for which has to be decided. It is not known whether his ashes will be brought back to Scotland.