Dame Joanna Lumley, the beloved British actress and national treasure, has candidly discussed her thoughts on mortality, revealing she has no intention of planning her own funeral. The Absolutely Fabulous legend, who will turn 80 next year, shared the details in a recent interview, highlighting a charming disagreement with her husband.
A Family Disagreement on Final Farewells
Despite being conscious of growing older, the 79-year-old star firmly stated she does not want a memorial service. However, her husband of 39 years, symphony and opera conductor Stephen Barlow, has other ideas. Lumley recounted his humorous yet firm stance to HELLO! magazine, quoting him as saying, "Look, your own funeral has nothing to do with you. You're not even going to be at the funeral, you'll be gone, so you can say what you like about whatever."
Stephen, who is 71 and almost a decade younger than Joanna, believes the funeral arrangements will be a matter for him and their 58-year-old son, Jamie, should they outlive her. When Joanna insisted she didn't want a memorial, her husband retorted, "That's going to be up to me and Jamie if we're around. There's no point in saying, I don't want one, because you'd have gone, darling, you'd have gone."
A Poet's Comforting Words
If a service were to go ahead, Joanna Lumley does have a specific poetic reading in mind. Having just released a book titled My Book of Treasures, which features lines from her favourite authors, she revealed a particular fondness for a piece by Rabindranath Tagore.
She shared the poignant line: "Death is not extinguishing the light: it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has done." She added, "And you think: 'Oh, that's just amazing.'"
An Enduring Career on Screen
Far from slowing down, Joanna Lumley remains at the pinnacle of her career. She is currently captivating audiences in two major television shows. On Netflix, she plays Grandmama Hester Frump in the hit Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off, Wednesday.
Furthermore, fans can soon see her reprise her role as the cold-hearted mother Felicity in the second series of the Motherland spin-off, Amandaland. The show, which follows middle-class Amanda and her children adapting to life in South Harlesden (or 'SoHa'), is currently filming.
Adding to the excitement, a Christmas special of Amandaland is set to air in just a few weeks. It will feature a highly-anticipated reunion with her Ab Fab co-star Jennifer Saunders, who will play Felicity's sister, Aunt Joan. Saunders described her character as "a ball of country-living, enthusiastic upper-class bluster" and expressed her delight at joining the cast, stating that playing Joanna's on-screen sister is "guaranteed to be a laugh."
