In the morning of his last full day on earth (August 13th), Celi was well
at the
mill in Neuville sur Essone. When Serge (who was in Munich for business
reasons
at that time) phoned him, Celi said he felt very well, but he had a
subconscious feeling that he was to die that particular evening. Serge
asked him not to make jokes on this matter, if there were any signs of
cardiac problems, he would immediately fly back from Munich to Paris. In
the afternoon Celi had chest pain, attributing it correctly to his heart,
but refused any hospital admittance and did not allow his wife to call a
physician. He definitely felt, he said, that the time of his passing had
come that day. Until the evening, his condition deteriorated and his
consciousness was impaired, such that Madame Celibidache called the
ambulance against Celi`s wishes. At the emergency department of the
hospital, when Celi was asked to describe his symptoms, he pointed towards
his heart, but experienced cardiac arrest in the same moment. All attempts
to restore circulation failed. The hour of his death was set at 00H40 on
the night of the 13th-14th.
F. Eugene Halaburt
Silverton, CO
USA