Actor Damian Lewis has written a heartbreaking tribute to his late wife Helen McCrory by writing that she was “a meteor in our lives.”
The “Billions” star recalled McCrory, who died of cancer at the age of 52 on Friday, as both a “brilliant” actress and a kind and generous person.
“I have never known anyone who spread happiness so consciously,” Lewis wrote in the British Sunday Times.
“Even when she died in her last few days, she repeatedly said ‘thank you very much’ in her half delirious state when she spoke to our wonderful caregivers.”
The couple met in 2003 when they both starred in a play at the Almeida Theater in London and were married four years later. They shared two children, Manon, 14, and 13-year-old Gulliver.
McCrory, known for her roles in the “Harry Potter” movies and the BBC show “Peaky Blinders,” was “fiercely proud” to be an actress and recording artist, her husband wrote.
But “Helen was an even more brilliant person than an actress.”
‘She was, of course, a people person … But she also lived the principle of kindness and generosity. That you put these things in the world to make it better
people feel better, ”wrote Lewis.
She always asked people how they were doing, always interested, making every person she met feel special, like they were the only person in the room. She gave her full attention. Always made you laugh, ”he continued. “There were few funnier people, she was funny as hell.”
Lewis, 50, recalled how a nurse at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London told him that the caregivers were looking forward to McCrory’s visits “because they made their day better. Asked how they were doing, cared about their family life, spread joy, made them laugh. “
Helen would say, ‘Well, their job is much more difficult than mine. And she was dying. “
Even during her illness, McCrory was “utterly heroic,” said Lewis.
“Funny, of course generous, courageous, without complaining, and constantly reminds us how lucky we have been, how blessed we are.”
“I’ve never known anyone who could enjoy life like this,” he wrote. “Her ability to be in the present and enjoy the moment was inspiring. She wasn’t interested in navel gazing either. No real interest in self-reflection; she believed in looking out, not in. That is why she was able to direct her light so clearly to others. “
Although she left their children too soon, they are “ prepared for life, ” Lewis said.
“They have the intrepidity, humor, curiosity, talent and beauty of their mother. She has urged us to be courageous and not afraid. “
Lewis concluded his tribute by describing how he misses his late wife, writing that she has “ been shining brighter in recent months than you would think even the brightest star could shine. ”
“In life, too, we had to get up to meet her,” he wrote. But her greatest and most exquisite act of courage and generosity was to ‘normalize’ her death. She showed no fear, no bitterness, no self-pity, just armed us with the courage to carry on and insisted that no one should be sad because she is happy. “
“I’m staggered by her,” added Lewis. “She’s been a meteor in our lives.”