CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — "You’re in your last bit of life,” the doctor told him.
William McFadden had just found out at an appointment in January that he has metastatic cancer throughout his body, meaning it had spread from the origin point and is terminal.
“(So), I decided instead of going for quantity of life, I’d go for quality of life.”
When some colleagues suggested holding a public event to celebrate the 73-year-old actor's life and legacy, he requested it be about more than just him.
“Let’s make it a celebration about life.”
The event, called Taking Bill to Church, is at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Charlottetown on Feb. 15. It starts at 7 p.m. and will feature music, dancing, camaraderie and maybe some tears, he said.
According to McFadden, who many know simply as Bill, he’s always tried to live life to the fullest. At a young age, his father told him to find something he loves to do – because he’d be doing it for a long time.
“I learned early in life that when my father told me to do something, it was a good idea to do it then rather than say, ‘how about tomorrow?’”
In the late 1950s, he got into the theatre scene and started what would become a prolific acting career. He bounced around for a while but eventually moved and settled on P.E.I. in 1970.
The last few years have been some of his busiest yet, he said, as he played characters in Island film projects like Pogey Beach and A Small Fortune.
He also took a few runs at office over the year, campaigning for Parliament in 1984 and for mayor of Charlottetown in 2018. He never secured a position but was happy with the 200 votes he earned during his second attempt.
“Which is pretty good, considering I didn’t spend any money.”
About 33 years ago, he decided to quit drinking and smoking, a decision he’s thankful for. More recently, he started going back to church in the Anglican faith, which prompted the event’s theme.
He raised 10 children, and is well-known by many across the downtown Charlottetown area for being a bit of a character. There’s even an Instagram account called Bill Spotting where people submit photos, sometimes stealthily but not unauthorized, if they cross paths with him.
“What’s not to be happy about?” he said. “My children all seem to enjoy me, my ex-wives get along with me. I don’t know of anybody who’s actively seeking my scalp.”
At the moment, McFadden is taking life one day at a time. It’s uncertain how long he’ll live, but he notes that if he lives to be 80 he can swim at the Bell Aliant Centre’s pool for free, which he'd like to take advantage of.
“If you have something to look forward to, that sometimes extends your life,” he said. “I have lots of stuff to look forward to.”
While he hasn’t been a stranger to the lowlights of life, he found a way to live it in the way that works best for him. Some people concentrate too much on trying to please others but at the expense of discovering what they’re supposed to be doing in life, he said.
“Some people wish I’d get a haircut,” he said. “(But) you can’t control what other people think of you. They’re going to think whatever they want.”
If you go
- What: Taking Bill to Church public event
- When: Saturday, Feb. 15, starting at 7 p.m.
- Where: St. Peter’s Cathedral, 7 All Souls’ Lane, Charlottetown
- Why: To celebrate life, particularly the life and legacy of William McFadden
