Cosby stars pray for Madeline Kahn
AGC Queen
NEWS that friend and co-star Madeline Kahn has deadly ovarian cancer has
devastated Bill Cosby and the cast of his hit show.
It was learned that for the past year she's been fighting the disease in secret
while still carrying on her role as Phylicia Rashad's sidekick Pauline on
Cosby.
The brave actress, 57, even got out of her hospital bed recently to get married
to her longtime love, New York lawyer John Hansbury.
"I'm gonna beat this," the ailing actress told Cosby. "I made love to a monster
in Young Frankenstein, I took on a stampede in Blazing Saddles, I upstaged
Danny Kaye on Broadway and I traded jabs with you. I can beat this."
According to one source, "There wasn't a dry eye in the place when she married
Oct. 10 in front of her family and a few close friends.
"Madeline was incredibly courageous. She refused to let her cancer ruin the
happiest day of her life."
Insiders say Madeline had valiantly tried to keep working -- wearing wigs to
cover her thinning hair and smiling brightly despite her pain.
But in recent weeks, she'd become so weak from the grueling sessions of
chemotherapy that she was forced to quit.
When it became too much, Madeline delivered a heartfelt tribute to the star of
the show and the rest of the cast: "I have been particularly touched by the
support of Bill and Phylicia and my entire extended family on Cosby who moved
heaven and earth to make me as comfortable as possible," she said.
"She's a brave lady, a great lady," Cosby told a pal. "I was devastated when I
heard about her illness.
"We tried to keep her on the show as long as we could, until she got too sick."
At the end of September, Madeline checked into Mount Sinai Medical Center in
New York City for her latest bout of chemo.
But after a few days, the feisty funny lady told her doctors that she had some
unfinished business. She had a wedding to attend -- her own.
"They have been happily unmarried for 10 years," says an insider about her
relationship with Hans-bury. "John has been her rock through this cancer
nightmare.
"Her doctors insisted she stay in the hospital but she was lying in bed making
wedding plans," reveals the insider.
"She vowed that she would be married in her own living room, wearing a wedding
dress and not a hospital gown."
The couple tied the knot at their Manhattan apartment in Park Avenue. The Rev.
Florence Fleming of Mount Sinai Hospital pre-sided over the ceremony and
Madeline's brother Jeffrey was best man.
As he slipped the ring on his bride's finger, John quipped: "So I was the
perfect guy, in my humble opinion. Took me a long time to persuade her."
A few weeks later, Madeline publicly revealed her desperate fight for life.
In a heartrending statement she said: "During the past year I've been
undergoing aggressive treatment for ovarian cancer. I make this announcement in
the hope that I might raise awareness of this awful disease and hasten the day
that an effective test can be discovered to give women a fighting chance to
catch this cancer in its earliest stage.
"Throughout this difficult period, I have been fortunate to have the loving
support of my husband John, my family, my friends and my medical team led by
Dr. Peter Doltino."
Madeline's new husband added: "Madeline is in good humor, hoping to continue to
work."
"She loves to cook," says a friend, "and she's joking, 'This illness has put me
way behind on my eating.' Every day she still cleans up her place, and she,
puts on a tape and sings along to old show tunes she did on Broadway."
But, sadly, Madeline is facing an uphill battle with daunting odds. About
25,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year and approximately
14,500 will die of the disease.
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