Sir Ian McKellen, 78, admits he thinks about death 'every day' and has planned his own funeral

By Joanna Crawley For Mailonline

Published: 05:48 EDT, 16 April 2018 | Updated: 12:09 EDT, 16 April 2018

Sir Ian McKellen, 78, has admitted he thinks about his own death every day.

The Lord Of The Rings star opens up about his funeral plans in a documentary, McKellen: Playing the Part, confessing he once spent 'the most enjoyable evening' drafting his ideal send-off. 

Sir Ian, who turns 79 next month, admitted he's planned such an occasion, that he wishes he could be there himself. 

Mortality: Sir Ian McKellen, 78, has admitted he thinks about his own death every day

Mortality: Sir Ian McKellen, 78, has admitted he thinks about his own death every day

The Sunday Times reports that the acclaimed actor has planned a 'celebratory' funeral to take place in a theatre. 

'Free admission. And I'd want a lot of beautiful people,' he muses, adding that when he finished the planning: 'I thought, "Ooh, I'd love to go to that funeral." So I hope I might arrange a dress rehearsal before I go.' 

Sir Ian insists that he has accepted his mortality, pointing out: 'As I see other people getting decrepit and unable to work, I think, well, that may well happen to me.'

But that doesn't mean he plans to stop working, adding: 'In the meantime why deny myself the pleasure of rehearsing a play?'

In 2012 the stage and screen star revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer for 'six or seven years'.

The Hobbit actor admitted he hasn't had any treatment for the disease, but is examined regularly and it is 'contained'.

He admitted he originally feared the worse when doctors first told him he had the disease, but his concerns were soon allayed.

'Celebration': The Lord Of The Rings star opens up about his funeral plans in a documentary, confessing he once spent 'the most enjoyable evening' drafting his ideal send-off

'Celebration': The Lord Of The Rings star opens up about his funeral plans in a documentary, confessing he once spent 'the most enjoyable evening' drafting his ideal send-off

He told The Sun: 'You do gulp when you hear the news. It's like when you go for an HIV test, you go "Arghhh, is this the end of the road?"

'They say you have cancer of the prostate and then that you can have it zapped. You can have it snipped but you are not a candidate for that. You are waitful watching.' 

Next up for Sir Ian, is a role in Ken McMullen’s Hamlet Revenant alongside Gabriel Byrne. 

Mikkel Boe Følsgaard will head the international cast playing the Danish prince, alongside French actors Lambert Wilson and Dominique Pinon and British actor Lex Shrapnel.   

The actor is also returning to the West End as King Lear, 66 years after he performed his first Shakespearean role when just a schoolboy.

The celebrated actor will lead director Jonathan Munby’s production of Lear — which ran at the Chichester Festival Theatre’s Minerva studio last autumn — into the Duke of York’s Theatre for a 16-week season from July 12. 

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