Editing Thelonious Monk (section)

===1971–1982: Later life and death===
Monk had disappeared from the scene by the mid-1970s for health reasons and made only a small number of appearances during the final decade of his life. His last studio recordings as a leader were made in November 1971 for the English [[Black Lion Records|Black Lion]] label, near the end of a worldwide tour with the Giants of Jazz, a group which included Gillespie, [[Kai Winding]], [[Sonny Stitt]], [[Al McKibbon]], and [[Art Blakey]]. Bassist McKibbon, who had known Monk for over twenty years and played on his final tour in 1971, later said: "On that tour, Monk said about two words. I mean literally maybe two words. He didn't say 'Good morning,' 'Goodnight,' 'What time?' Nothing. Why, I don't know. He sent word back after the tour was over that the reason he couldn't communicate or play was that Art Blakey and I were so ugly."<ref>{{cite news
  | last = Voce
  | first = Steve
  | title = Obituary: Al McKibbon
  | work = [[The Independent]]
  | publisher=Findarticles.com
  | date = August 1, 2005
| url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20050801/ai_n14828122
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311052203/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20050801/ai_n14828122
  | url-status = dead
  | archive-date = March 11, 2007
| access-date =November 12, 2007
}}</ref>  A different side of Monk is revealed in [[Lewis Porter]]'s biography ''John Coltrane: His Life and Music''; Coltrane states: "Monk is exactly the opposite of Miles [Davis]: he talks about music all the time, and he wants so much for you to understand that if, by chance, you ask him something, he'll spend hours if necessary to explain it to you."<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Porter
  | first = Lewis
  | author-link = Lewis Porter
  | title = John Coltrane: His Life and Music
  | publisher = [[University of Michigan Press]]
  | year = 1998
  | page = [https://archive.org/details/johncoltranehisl00port/page/109 109]
  | isbn = 0-472-10161-7
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/johncoltranehisl00port/page/109
  }}</ref> Blakey reports that Monk was excellent at both chess and [[draughts|checkers]].<ref>Litweiler, John B., "Art Blakey: Bu's Delights and Laments," ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine, March 25, 1976.</ref>

The documentary film ''[[Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser]]'' (1988) attributes Monk's quirky behavior to mental illness. In the film, Monk's son says that his father sometimes did not recognize him, and he reports that Monk was hospitalized on several occasions owing to an unspecified mental illness that worsened in the late 1960s. No reports or diagnoses were ever publicized, but Monk would often become excited for two or three days, then pace for days after that, after which he would withdraw and stop speaking. Doctors recommended [[electroconvulsive therapy]] as a treatment option for Monk's illness, but his family would not allow it; [[antipsychotic]]s and [[Lithium pharmacology|lithium]] were prescribed instead.<ref name="Gabbard">{{cite journal
  | last = Gabbard
  | first = Krin
  | title = Evidence: Monk as Documentary Subject
  | journal = Black Music Research Journal
  | volume = 19
  | issue = 2
  | pages = 207–225
  | publisher =  Center for Black Music Research&nbsp;— Columbia College Chicago
  | date =Autumn 1999
  | doi = 10.2307/779343
  | jstor = 779343 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
  | author = Spence, Sean A
  | title = Thelonious Monk: His Life and Music
  | journal = [[British Medical Journal]]
  | volume = 317
  | issue = 7166
  | pages = 1162A
  | publisher =  BMJ Publishing Group
  | date = October 24, 1998
| pmc = 1114134
| pmid=9784478
  | doi=10.1136/bmj.317.7166.1162a
}}</ref>  Other theories abound: [[Leslie Gourse]], author of the book ''Straight, No Chaser: The Life and Genius of Thelonious Monk'' (1997), reported that at least one of Monk's psychiatrists failed to find evidence of [[manic depression]] ([[bipolar disorder]]) or [[schizophrenia]]. Another doctor maintains that Monk was misdiagnosed and prescribed drugs during his hospital stay that may have caused brain damage.<ref name="Gabbard" />

As his health declined, Monk's last six years were spent as a guest in the [[Weehawken, New Jersey]], home of his long-standing patron and friend [[Pannonica de Koenigswarter]], who nursed Monk during his final illness. She proved to be a steadfast presence, as did his own wife Nellie, especially as his life descended into further isolation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/theloniousmonkre00robv|url-access=registration|title=The Thelonious Monk Reader|last=Bliek|first=Rob van der|date=February 22, 2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199761470|language=en}}</ref> Monk did not play the piano during this time, even though one was present in his room, and he spoke to few visitors. He died of a stroke on February 17, 1982, and was buried in [[Ferncliff Cemetery]] (Grave 405, Hillcrest 1 section) at [[Hartsdale, New York]]. [[File:Thelonious Monk Grave Marker.jpg|thumb|Thelonious Monk, his daughter and wife, at Ferndale Cemetery, Westchester, New York.]]