SCREEN legend Michael Caine said his best friend Sean Connery is 'no longer in control of his senses'.

The Daily Mail reports Caine, 80, told German newspaper Bild that the Bond star's memory loss was noticeable.

'One must have serious concerns for him,' Caine, who is one of a handful of people who still see 83-year-old Connery, said.

The newspaper also said Connery's wife Micheline Roquebrune, 77, was frightened to pick up the phone when he was walking around New York City by himself in case of bad news.

On the back of Caine's comments, German media has suggested Connery suffers from Alzheimer's disease, however this has not been confirmed.

Two years ago, Connery told a British newspaper he had lost interest in acting, last starring in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003.

He and Caine became friends while shooting the 1975 epic The Man Who Would Be King.