The friend
2005 marks the 25th anniversary of Peter Sellers' death.
His son, Michael, who is good friends with Spike Milligan's
children, says that despite the fine performances of Geoffrey
Rush and Charlize Theron in Stephen Hopkin's 2004 feature
film, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers", the
film fell short. "Given that it's a biography of his
life you would have thought speaking to the people that
knew him and lived with him would be an essential part of
it."
One of Peter Sellers' most important relationships, neglected
in the film almost entirely except for a few brief "Goon
Show" scenes, was with Spike Milligan.
"It seemed to me they were almost incidental to the
plot in the film. Nobody went into what Spike...meant to
my Dad.
"I know my dad said to Spike just before he died,
he said 'You know, we've got to get together again. I want
to laugh again.' That’s what my dad said. He was fed
up with everything that was going on around him and he really
wanted to see Spike again and get back to where they were,
and they both loved those times. They used to go out together
and get dressed in German uniforms and ride around in my
dad's Mercedes and [yell] 'zieg heiling' and all this stuff
out the window… being stupid."
Sellers organised a get-together in London. He arrived
from the US and died of a heart attack in his hotel room
on 24 July 1980, before he could meet up with his friends.
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