Editing Spike Milligan (section)

==Death==
[[File:Spike Milligan's gravestone.jpg|alt=|thumb|The headstone of Milligan's grave in the grounds of St Thomas' [[Winchelsea]], East Sussex. The name of his last wife was added, along with birth and death dates and an additional [[epitaph]]. Milligan's epitaph includes the phrase ''Dúirt mé leat go mé breoite'', Irish for "I told you I was ill".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/05/church-of-england-disowns-ruling-irish-epitaph-gravestone|title=Church of England disowns ruling on Irish epitaph on gravestone|first=Owen|last=Bowcott|date=5 June 2020|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> The headstone is positioned roughly midway between the New Inn and the church door.]]
Even late in life, Milligan's [[black humour]] had not deserted him. In 1980, during the funeral of [[Peter Sellers]], he quipped to [[Harry Secombe]], "I'm hope you die before me, because I don't want you to sing at my funeral." (A recording of Secombe singing was played at Milligan's memorial service.) In 1990, he also wrote his own [[obituary]], in which he stated repeatedly that he "wrote the ''Goon Show'' and died".<ref>{{cite web|last=Milligan|first=Spike|title=My Obituary, by Spike Milligan|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/my-obituary-by-spike-milligan-6330153.html|work=London Evening Standard|date=27 February 2002|access-date=30 October 2013}}</ref>

Milligan died from [[kidney failure]], at the age of 83, on 27 February 2002, at his home on [[Dumb Woman's Lane]] near [[Rye, East Sussex|Rye]], Sussex.<ref name="widow"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Watts |first1=Alex |title=Spike Milligan: Goon but not forgotten - Rye residents remember comic's antics 20 years after his death |url=https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/spike-milligan-goon-but-not-forgotten-rye-residents-remember-comics-antics-20-years-after-his-death-3578381 |access-date=17 January 2024 |work=[[Sussex Express]] |date=21 February 2022 |archive-date=17 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317130614/https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/spike-milligan-goon-but-not-forgotten-rye-residents-remember-comics-antics-20-years-after-his-death-3578381 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the day of his funeral, 8 March 2002, his coffin was carried to St Thomas Church in [[Winchelsea]], East Sussex, and was draped in the [[flag of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1387211/Pipers-farewell-for-Spike-Milligan.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1387211/Pipers-farewell-for-Spike-Milligan.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|title=Piper's farewell for Spike Milligan|first=David|last=Sapsted|date=9 March 2002|access-date=23 May 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He had once quipped that he wanted his headstone to bear the words: "I told you I was ill." He was buried at St Thomas' churchyard but the Chichester diocese refused to allow this [[epitaph]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Milligan gets last laugh on grave|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/3742443.stm|work=BBC News|date=24 May 2004}}</ref> A compromise was reached with the [[Irish language|Gaelic]] translation of "I told you I was ill", {{lang|ga|Dúirt mé leat go mé breoite}}, and in English, "Love, light, peace". The additional epitaph {{lang|ga|Grá mhór ort Shelagh}} can be read as "Great love for you Shelagh".

According to a letter published in the ''Rye and Battle Observer'' in 2011, Milligan's headstone was removed from St Thomas' churchyard in Winchelsea and moved to be alongside the grave of his wife,<ref>{{cite web|last=Milligan|first=Spike|title=Where's Spike gone?|url=http://www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/news/letters/where_s_spike_gone_1_3212801|work=Rye and Battle Observer|date=4 November 2011|access-date=26 February 2015|archive-date=30 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530000832/http://www.ryeandbattleobserver.co.uk/news/letters/where_s_spike_gone_1_3212801|url-status=dead}}</ref> but was later returned.<ref name="Singh 2012">{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Anita |title=Spike Milligan's gravestone returned after family feud |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9670813/Spike-Milligans-gravestone-returned-after-family-feud.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9670813/Spike-Milligans-gravestone-returned-after-family-feud.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=14 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=12 November 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>