On June 19, 2001, John Thaw made an annoucement that stunned his fans. "I am receiving treatement for cancer of the esophagus," he said, and then, in typical Morse fashion, "As soon as this has been completed, I intend to return to work." He went on to thank the public for the concern they would show for him and his family during the coming months, then asked the reporters and press to respect their privacy during this trying time. The news came like a thunderbolt, totally unexpected. John's father had died of the disease in 1997, and ironically his wife Sheila's first husband had also died from the same disease back in 1971. Thaw admitted that he smoked heavily all his life and had once tried to give it up, but said he became "nervy, edgy and snappy" and that "after driving his wife and family mad he decided he would rather smoke and be pleasant and relaxed for everyone's sake around him." John knew this meant he would be forced to lighten his work load, which was his entire life. In his last public interview at the Royal Society of Arts in London, John commented "In the last few years I have made a conscious decision to slow down and I've not worked for a couple of months, quite deliberately," he said. "I've been called a workaholic in the past. But now I can think of many pleasant ways of spending retirement - lots of reading and walking, going to concerts, shows, and operas; sitting in the sun and long, leisurely lunches. I can think of lots of nice things to do."

John and Sheila take a vacation to France in the summer before starting his programme of treatment. "It's not been easy this year so it was lovely to get away to France for a break," Hancock said in an interview. "We get lost in the crowd there - I'm not complaining but it was nice just to look in the shops and sit in a cafe which is difficult to do over here. "John is doing well. He is in the middle of his treatment and they are all very thrilled. He is responding marvellously. There is no news when he might start working again. But we are hoping he will be able to start some time in the autumn. But with all these things you play it day by day and see what happens." She then went on to speak of their daughters. Originally all three decided to pursue a career in acting but Hancock admits she is happier two have now decided that it is not for them. "My eldest daughter Melanie, much to my relief, is doing interior design. She did her own house up very well and then a lot of people asked her for help. She thought it was silly as it was turning into a job. She did a course and is now working with an architect. My middle daughter, Abigail, is at The Globe and my youngest daughter is contemplating doing a course in psychiatry. I pray all the time that they will give up acting. If I get a sniff of them doing anything different I encourage them."

John and Sheila returned to England in good spirits. Most of his friends and associates felt that if anyone could beat the disease, he could. Colin Dexter observed that John went into the treatment "From day one in a positive frame of mind, optimistic, and determined to beat it." His wife Sheila had been a breast-cancer survivor herself from 16 years previously, and a 6-year old grandson had just recovered from a brain tumor, so there was hope among the family that the dreaded disease does not always have to win. John completed the prescribed program of treatement in time for the Christmas holidays. On January 3rd, 2002, he celebrated his 60th birthday and looked forward to returning to work. On February 13th, he and his wife met with long time-friend and producer Ted Childs over tea to discuss the possibility of John's reprising the role of Kavanagh. John looked over the suggested scripts and agreed to return in two more Kavanagh programs, slated to begin filming in March. Eight days later, on Thursday, February 21st, John Thaw was dead. He spent the last evening of his life walking in his beloved garden at home, and that very day had signed a one-year contract with ITV that Sheila found on the piano the next morning. He had refused to lose faith in the future right up to the very end.

John passed away at his small cottage home in Wiltshire, surrounded by his family, which consisted of three daughters: Melanie Jane from Sheila's first marriage; Abigail, from John's first marriage; and a daughter of their own, Joanna, all three of whom were actresses taking after their famed father. In addition to his immediate family, his 3 grandchildren were at his bedside. The family decided on a private ceremony with just Sheila and the daughters present, saying that the "entire family had been exhausted by the emotional stress of his passing and the constant care they had given him at home" for the previous eight months, but promised that there would be a memorial service later in the spring for the public and his fans to share in celebrating his life. John Thaw was cremated on February 25th, and his ashes scattered in his garden at home that he loved so much.

The night after his death, the BBC aired a special 30-minute tribute on ITV1 to John's life and career hosted by his Inspector Morse partner and colleague Kevin Whateley, after which they showed a selection of Morse mysteries thoughout the night. In it, Kevin paid tribute to his "Great pal and mentor. John's death will leave a hole in millions of lives", he said, adding that the country had lost "it's finest screen actor" but that his thoughts were with John's friends and family. Kevin then shared with viewers some personal stories and insights into John's character. "John had a wonderful sense of humor which is belied sometimes by journalist's impressions of him as irascible. He loathed the whole celebrity circuit. In between takes he was like an Irish storyteller in a bar, he wouldn't tell jokes, just stories and you would find yourself rolling around and crying with laughter. He was a wonderful mimic, particularly of people on the set rather than of famous people." At this point Kevin broke down and could barely continue the show.

And author Colin Dexter, who created the Inspector Morse character and became a close friend of John's over the years, summed it up for all by expressing that "John's death was a great sadness. He was very brave and optimistic and hopeful about the future, although I think everybody knew that this was an especially serious form of cancer." He described his friend as "A perfectionist. He did not mind how many takes there were. He was a person who was prepared to do anything to make sure that the television he made was as it should be. He always gave the best he had. And that is how I will remember him, always giving a hundred percent of himself."

Morse's beloved Jaguar MkII, (click for a short video clip), perhaps the most recognizable example of its kind in the world, (which originally cost $2200 in 1959), sold at auction for an astounding $78,000 to a devoted collector and fan who vowed to keep the auto from leaving the U.K. When John's will (signed only five days before his death) is read, it is discovered that he left an estate estimated at 2.2 million pounds, divided up equally between Sheila and his three daughters. To his first wife Sally Alexander, mother of Abigail, he left her choice of cherished mementoes. And to give back something to the profession which he loved so much, a John Thaw Foundation is set up with an initial bequest of $200,000 pounds, as a scholarship fund to help struggling actors and students. Finally, in April, 2002, almost two months to the day after his passing, John Thaw won his second BAFTA, the coveted Lew Grade Award for his final performance in "Buried Treasure". At the conclusion of the ceremony a short filmed piece was shown remembering those actors who have passed during the last year, and John was left for last. They presented clips from both Inspector Morse and The Sweeney, and closed with a long, lingering shot of him showing that enigmatic smile on his face we've all come to know so well. The audience stood up in a thunderous ovation. John's final award was presented by his Inspector Morse colleague Kevin Whateley, and accepted on his behalf by his widow, Sheila. The actress said John would have been "absolutely overwhelmed and moved beyond belief. I think his is a remarkable story. He overcame adversity and fought a lot of personal demons to get where he was. John was really a very shy man who only ever regarded himself as a working actor. He never understood the public's fascination with him. Having reached a lovely, tranquil stage in his life, he has been snatched away from us. We really do miss him terribly." She went on to say: "It's very fitting that the last award that John will ever get should be one that's voted for by the audience. John would be hugely, hugely proud. He liked it when the critics gave him a good review. But if they didn't, he would always say 'it's only the audience that matters.'" That bond between John and his fans will forever remain strong and unbroken.

Next: Some Final Thoughts