The award-winning author, scholar, and “wonderful father, husband, and son” died just days after a private gastric sleeve operation that was supposed to give him new life. Native Philip Morris died at the age of 48, leaving behind his wife Dana and young son Orson.
Philip was due to embark on the University of East Anglia’s Doctor of Letters program (one of the best writing courses in the world) in February 2022. and he died four days later.
Dana, whom Phillip met when he was still a teenager at Camp America, said some of his last words to her: “You have a project, right?” I was editing Home to You: Celebrating 10 Years of Wales Arts Review, referring to a project I was working on. It will be ready for printing soon, said Dana sadly.
Philip had struggled with his weight for a long time and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes while attending drama school in his early twenties. I was told I had type diabetes. His treatment put him in a “vicious circle”. He continued to feel hungry and gained weight, which made his body more resistant to insulin. weight and was able to reverse symptoms, including vision problems.
“The surgery was in December and he was due to start his PhD that February. All his Christmas presents were like thermoses because he had to travel a lot to East Anglia. “He was ready. He was ready to go. It’s going to be another phase in his career.”
Philip had to lose between 5 and 7 stones and chose to go private after the pandemic delayed an NHS bariatric surgery for two years. However, when he returned from surgery, he had difficulty speaking and breathing. It was hard for Dana to see her husband’s health worsen. He died on December 10th.
A pre-inquest review held at the South London Coroner’s Court in Croydon on 27 April called for more information about Philip’s treatment in the days before his death. Spire Healthcare, which runs the hospital, said it is “assisting coroners by providing information for the purpose of an inquest.”
Dana, from Michigan, USA, welcomed the coroner’s decision. she said: He was a founding member of the Welsh Arts Review and from 2012 he was editor-in-chief until 2016.
The couple met when Phillip was 19 and Dana was 18 and had just graduated from high school in the United States. But after a year I decided enough was enough. Dana said:
They both worked at Camp America with inner-city Detroit kids, and Dana was the first to spy on Philip when he spoke. I thought, ‘He looks handsome,'” Dana said. I started asking around, ‘Who is this guy?’
“He had a lot of Welsh Dragon stickers. At the time, many people, myself included, couldn’t even show Wales on a map. And I was like, ‘He sees his country very much.’ I’m so proud of you.” Knowing his love of drama and theater, Dana offered to take him on a variety of productions of his choosing. Sounds very positive now, added Dana. However, the two were in love at the time.
Philip was going to volunteer work in East Timor and Dana had attended college for four years before that, but Philip declared that he would have to get married instead. and started earning enough money to move to the United States and get married, so Dana could continue her studies there.
Philip arrived in the United States in May 1994 and married an “accidental witness” from Dana’s class three days later. They were called Madonna and Christian, but Dana laughed and added that she thought it was a “lucky sign”. I think I brought £250 in my pocket.”
A drama teacher job came up at the same college Dana was studying at, and Philip took the job. While there, he directed a “serious production” of Othello, which was “the talk of the town.” “He was a great teacher. He was 20 years old and his oldest student he was 73.”
Playing Iago in Othello, Philip drew on his experience working at the Dorman and Sherman Theaters in South Wales. However, he realized he needed skill, so he auditioned for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and was accepted. And the young couple finally came to the UK.
They lived in Newport, where their only son, Orson, named after American actor Orson Welles, was born, but returned to London after seven years so Phillip could pursue his love of acting. “He was such a great dad when Orson was born,” Dana said. A son and a true inspiration to all who met him.”
In a heartfelt tribute to his colleague and friend Gary Raymond, he said, “Phil and I used to laugh a lot. He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes went crazy, he bobbed up and down and his face got a little red.” I think it’s important to remember how someone laughed.”
It was Philip and Gary who organized the Welsh Arts Review critics’ round table at the Welsh Millennium Centre, Cardiff, and asked them to present the largest Welsh novel award to Dame Sian Phillips. Dana says:
Gary added:[Phillip] Be at your best when you’re working on something that means something to people, whether it’s creating mentoring schemes, organizing events for young critics, or getting participants into rooms to share ideas and creative opportunities. was. He wrote some of the best scripts in theater and film, but he held it higher when writing about youth and community projects, allowing him to see underprivileged children go all out for the collective good. .
Philip’s family, including his parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, are “grieved” by his sudden death. The Middleton Law family’s legal team is investigating Philip’s case for more answers about his treatment and the circumstances of his death.
A spokesperson for Spire Healthcare added, “We extend our deepest condolences for the loss of Mr. Morris’ family.”
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