Desmond Llewelyn 1999. On 19 December 1999, Llewelyn was driving home alone from a book signing event when his blue Renault Megane had a head-on collision with a bronze Fiat Bravo driven by a 35-year-old man on the A27 near the village of Berwick, East Sussex. Despite attention from a doctor called to the scene and being taken by helicopter to Eastbourne District General Hospital, he died shortly thereafter at the age of 85. The other driver was seriously injured. An inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death. Llewelyn's death occurred three weeks after the premiere of "The World Is Not Enough".
GoldenEye was released after a six-year hiatus in the series caused by legal disputes, during which Timothy Dalton resigned from the role of James Bond and was replaced by Pierce Brosnan. M was also recast, with actress Judi Dench becoming the first woman to portray the character, replacing Robert Brown. The role of Miss Moneypenny was also recast, with Caroline Bliss being replaced by Samantha Bond; Desmond Llewelyn was the only actor to reprise his role, as Q. It was the first Bond film made after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, which provided