Eric Idle turned up for Ricky Jay’s memorial a week early

British comedy icon Eric Idle was left feeling like a “total muppet” on Sunday (13Jan19) after turning up for late pal Ricky Jay’s memorial a week early.
The actor and magician, who appeared in films like Tomorrow Never Dies and The Prestige, passed away in November (18), aged 70, and his loved ones subsequently invited his celebrity pals to pay tribute at a celebration of life event.
However, Idle got the dates mixed up and thought the tribute was taking place over the weekend.
Prior to discovering the calendar confusion, Idle took to Twitter to reminisce about his old pal, to whom he was introduced by Steve Martin.
“A sad day as we remember Ricky Jay and his genius and the joy of his friendship thanks to @SteveMartinToGo,” the Monty Python legend posted. “He has entertained us, challenged us and given us his amazing books for three decades. We loved him and miss him.”
Shortly afterwards, Eric returned to Twitter to reveal his funny mistake.
“How to be a total muppet,” he tweeted. “Turn up for your friends (sic) memorial a week early. I brought extra Kleenex (tissues) and all. Ricky would be laughing his a** off.”