Whose tombstone bears the inscription "I told you I was ill"?

Terence Alan Milligan (1918- 2002), known as Spike Milligan, was a British-Irish comedian, writer, and actor famous for 'The Goon Show' amongst other things. He died of kidney failure at the age of 83 and was buried at St Thomas Church in Winchelsea, East Sussex, England. Milligan once joked that he wanted his tombstone to read "I told you I was ill". Unfortunately, the diocese at the church refused to allow the epitaph. Instead, a compromise was made and a Gaelic translation of the phrase was written instead: "Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite". Also on the tombstone are the English words "Love, light, peace" and the Gaelic phrase, "Grá mhór ort Shelagh," meaning "Great love for you Shelagh". Shelagh was the name of Milligan's third wife, whom he married in 1983.

Milligan started his career as a jazz musician before working as an actor and scriptwriter. His first success as a writer was 'The Goon Show' (1951-60), a radio comedy programme broadcast on the BBC Home Service. Following this, Milligan turned his attention to television, starring in shows such as 'Don't Spare the Horses' (1952) and 'Curry and Chips' (1969).

Between 1951 and 2000, Milligan also starred in several films, notably 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (1972), 'The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything' (1999) and 'Badjelly the Witch' (2000). The latter was based on a picture book written and illustrated by Milligan in 1973.