London (AFP)

Scottish actor Sean Connery, who died at the age of 90, suffered from dementia and died "peacefully", according to his wife, quoted Sunday by the tabloid The Mail on Sunday.

"At least he died in his sleep and it was very peaceful. I was with him the whole time and he just passed out. That's what he wanted," said Micheline Roquebrune, French portrait painter the legendary performer of 007 had married in second marriage in 1975.

“He had dementia and it really had a negative effect on him,” she revealed.

"He was wonderful and we had a wonderful life together", also confided Ms. Roquebrune.

"It's going to be very hard without him, I know that. But it couldn't go on forever and he left peacefully," she added.

Sean Connery died surrounded by his family in Nassau, Bahamas.

He had "not been well for quite some time," his son Jason Connery told the BBC.

Many figures of cinema have paid homage to the Scotsman, the first actor to slip into the costume of James Bond, in "Dr No" in 1962.

Each of the actors who succeeded him as "007" watched him "with reverence and admiration," said Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in 4 films.

"Sir Sean Connery, you were my greatest James Bond, for the boy I was and for the man who became James Bond himself," said Pierce Brosnan.

Another performer of "007", Briton Timothy Dalton praised the "wonderful presence" of Sean Connery.

He "captured an era, the sixties," praised Australian George Lazenby, who played 007 in "In Her Majesty's Service".

Sean Connery is "one of the real greats of cinema", also paid tribute to the Briton Daniel Craig.

"He defined an era and a style," added the current interpreter of the character invented by writer Ian Fleming whose next installment of the adventures, "Die can wait", is due out in April 2021.

American actor Kevin Costner highlighted his "incredible career".

“He's the biggest star I've worked with,” he tweeted.

During his five-decade career, Sean Connery has won an Oscar, two Bafta and three Golden Globes.

His funeral will be private, announced his family, who are planning a memorial service once the pandemic has passed.

© 2020 AFP