Ailing actor DUDLEY MOORE is "outraged" over reports he is on his deathbed.

The comedian - who is battling a rare, incurable brain disorder - said in a BBC interview screened on British TV on Monday (04DEC00) that the ailment has left him with a "short and uncertain future," adding, "I know I am going to die from it."

But in an e-mail titled OPEN LETTER TO THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS from his Los Angeles home, the 65-year-old says, "I suppose my imminent death will sell papers, while my positive and life- affirming work is of no interest to anyone. "I am hurt and discouraged by your (the media's) cruelty, and I challenge you to set the record straight by printing this statement." Moore adds he's surprised to hear reports that he has "only weeks to live."

He continues, "I should, I imagine, let my doctor know this, as when I saw him last week he thought things were much better." Moore says the press has ignored the positive things he's done recently, including a new CD, DUDLEY MOORE - LIVE FROM AN AIRCRAFT HANGAR, and a website to raise funds for research on PSP, which attacks brain cells that control balance and eye movements as well as some mental and motor functions. (RGS/WNWCAN/NFA)

Source: WENN