Hollywood Reporter:

Terry Jones, a founding member of Monty Python and a beloved comedian, screenwriter, film director, poet, historian and author, has died. He was 77.

His agent confirmed his death to the BBC. He had been suffering from dementia, which was revealed publicly by his son, Bill, in September 2016. It left him unable to speak.

Renowned for his depictions of middle-aged housewives, often with hysterically falsetto voices, it was Jones who would famously scream the iconic line, “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy,” while playing mother to the titular not-quite-son-of-god in the 1979 comedy Monty Python’s Life of Brian, which he also directed. The line twice was voted the funniest in film history in U.K. polls.

Not an unexpected loss but sad nonetheless. I spent many a Saturday afternoon in front of the TV as a kid doubled over with laughter at the utter silliness of The Flying Circus and the same in theatres watching Holy Grail (which I haven’t seen in years but can still recite most of it from memory), The Life of Brian, and The Meaning of Life – although I can no longer watch the Mr. Creosote scene.

It’s hard if not impossible to overstate Monty Python’s influence on comedy and comedians. Very much like the Beatles in music.