Gene Wilder, RIP: His Final Interview

Beloved actor Gene Wilder has passed away at his Connecticut home at the age of 83 — with The National ENQUIRER having the scoop on the "Willy Wonka' star's dying days! ENQUIRER reporters rushed to his hometown of Stamford after discovering that neighbors were worried that he was once again fighting cancer — saying Gene was "scarily thin" and "could barely walk."

Gene's wife Karen (pictured with Gene in 2014) talked to The ENQUIRER and assured her husband's fans: "[He's] just fine. The cancer hasn't returned!" But his wife of 25 years — who had married the widowed star after Gilda Radner's death in 1989 — was hiding her own heartbreak. As later covered by The ENQUIRER, Gene was suffering from the development of Alzheimer's that would take his life just months later!

In a final brave display, Gene still insisted on talking to The National ENQUIRER — in a touching conversation that reporters knew could very well be his final interview. Here's what Gene had to say while reflecting on his life and his bitterness toward Hollywood...

GENE ON TODAY'S MOVIE STARS: "I love Leo DiCaprio, but he's been miscast...[As for Brad Pitt], he's a good actor, but he wouldn't do the stuff I did, the comedies. He wouldn't be good at it, either."

ON HIS PREFERRED ACTORS: "The English are my favorite. Anthony Hopkins — he's a great actor. I like Sean Connery, too."

ADDRESSING HIS SHAKEY HEALTH: "I fell down the stairs because of the dogs. I was putting them to bed and fell over them."

ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM HOLLYWOOD: “The standard of movies is terrible — I love it here [in Connecticut]. It's quiet and peaceful.”