He also has a big regret about his brother

Sir David Attenborough previously shared his heartbreak after the tragic loss of his dear brother.

National treasure David – who is on Parenthood today (August 31) – has been a staple on screens for years. However, Sir David is not the only famous Attenborough.

His brother Richard Attenborough, was an accomplished actor and director, with appearances in the likes of Jurassic Park and Doctor Dolittle.

However, sadly in 2014, Richard died aged 90, leaving brother David devastated.


David’s brother died a few years back (Credit: BBC)

Sir David Attenborough’s brother ‘damaged’ his brain

In 2008, David’s brother Richard suffered a stroke and, a year later, he had a serious fall at home, resulting in him spending his final years in a wheelchair.

“He fell downstairs and damaged his brain, so he was unconscious for a long time. He’s now back, but he’s in a wheelchair,” David explained to MailOnline in 2011.

He added: “You can have a conversation with him. I go down and see him at the weekend. We have our jokes, the ones we’ve had since we were kids.” However, David then noted: “Hmmm, it’s distressing.”


Richard died in 2014 (Credit: CoverImages.com)

‘He was a shadow of his former self’

Unfortunately, in 2014, Richard sadly died aged 90. A year later, David – who was three years younger than Richard – opened up about the loss, candidly admitting “you don’t get over these things”.

He explained: “You accommodate them, you deal with them, but you don’t get over them.”

Reflecting on their last meeting, David added to the Mirror: “I last saw him a week or so before he died. He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t walk. Of course he was a shadow of his former self. He’d damaged his brain. All people who’ve sustained those kinds of injuries… of course they change. He was a very dear brother and he is missed.”

David’s regret over brother Richard

Meanwhile, shortly after Richard’s passing, Sir David expressed the regret he had over his brother Richard.

He told the Radio Times: “The thing that I’m sorry about is that actually Dick was a marvellous comic actor. He was very, ver funny, and could be – and was – in domestic circumstances

“We just spent all our time roaring with laughter – and that didn’t get much of an outlet in his feature films. I mean, Christmas time, you know, we just sat around, roaring with laughter.”