Monty Python legend Eric Idle posts heartfelt tribute to his 'beloved' Husky Jack after he passed away

Idle hit out on X about still needing to work at his age despite Python's success

Monty Python legend Eric Idle has posted a heartfelt tribute to his family dog Jack after he passed away.

Marking a temporary truce in the war of words with his former Python colleague Terry Gilliam, Idle, 80, posted on X/Twitter: ‘Taking time out to mourn the passing of our beloved dog Jack.’

Along with a picture of the dog with blue and brown eyes, he continued affectionately: ‘Graduated Whitman College, Phi Beta Capa, lived in LA first with the Zappa’s, and then with us for the last ten years.

‘A true friend, Husky mix with Bowie eyes, he was beloved by all and is sorely missed. Thanks Jack.’

Eric’s showbiz friends expressed their sympathy after he broke the news. Irish actor and comedian Chris O’Dowd tweeted: ‘Ah s*****, I’m sorry Eric. What a good lad.’

Monty Python legend Eric Idle has posted a heartfelt tribute to his family dog Jack

Gilliam posted on X/ Twitter : ‘Taking time out to mourn the passing of our beloved dog Jack’

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill sent a broken heart emoji. Eric’s wife Tania Idle simply posted: ‘Heartbroken.’

It’s thought Eric was referring to Gail Zappa, widow of the late eccentric rock star Frank Zappa. The musician died from prostate cancer aged only 52, in 1993.

Gail died in 2015 but was survived by the couple’s distinctively-named children, daughters Moon Unit and Diva, and sons Dweezil and Ahmet.

News of Jack’s demise came at the end of a turbulent week for the surviving members of the iconic comedy group Monty Python.

The spat began last weekend when Idle hit out on X about still needing to work at his age, despite the enormous success of the Monty Python franchise – from the Flying Circus TV programme to spin-off films such as Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life.

He took potshots at Terry Gilliam and his daughter, Holly, a TV lawyer who runs HDG Projects, a management firm that says it ‘is responsible for managing the 4 remaining Pythons’ – namely Cleese, Gilliam, Michael Palin and Idle.

‘We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,’ Idle wrote. ‘But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised. One Gilliam is bad enough. Two can take out any company.’

John Cleese, 84, then weighed in, posting: ‘I have worked with Holly for the last ten years, and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard- working, and pleasant to have dealings with.’

He continued: ‘Michael Palin has asked me to to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.’

Ms Gilliam, 43, has managed the Pythons for the last decade, co-producing reunion shows Monty Python Live.

It comes at the end of a turbulent week for the surviving members of the iconic comedy group Monty Python

The legendary comedian hit out on X about still needing to work at his age despite Monty Python’s success

Cleese later retweeted a post from Chris Lander, the head of comedy and entertainment podcasts at commercial radio company Global, who said he had previously shared an office with Ms Gilliam.

He said: ‘I had the pleasure of sharing an office with Holly during the pre-production period of the O2 reunion shows.

‘I’ve never worked with anyone more hard working, diligent, passionate (the list goes on!) in my career. She was an inspiration to work with.’

Idle had revealed he was still working aged 80 after only receiving £2,000 per series from the BBC.

Eric Idle’s own daughter Lily, a writer and photographer living in Los Angeles, went on to praise her father for finally sharing ‘the truth’.

She wrote: ‘I’m so proud of my dad for finally finally finally starting to share the truth.

‘He has always stood up to bullies and narcissists and absolutely deserves reassurance and validation for doing so.’

The feud is just the latest in a series of financial problems to hit the cast and Idle is not the only one who has been left scrambling to keep his Hollywood lifestyle afloat.

After Gail Zappa’s death, the Laurel Canyon mansion where her rock legend husband recorded most of his music was snapped up by Lady Gaga for $5m, but she sold it in 2021.

Zappa lived on the property with his family from the mid-’70s up until his passing in 1993, and the interior includes ‘one-of-a-kind embellishments’ that reflected his taste. A detailed dragon mural found in the dining room and ‘porthole windows and doors salvaged from vintage submarines’ were among some of those unique features.