Al Pacino says he briefly died from Covid: 'I was gone'
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • one month ago • 14 commentsBy: "I didn't see the white light or anything like that," the 84-year-old actor said of his brush with death. "There's nothing there."
Al Pacino revealed on a podcast over the weekend that he almost died during a bout with Covid-19 — a near-death experience that left him pondering his mortality.
Pacino, 84, was plugging his memoir, "Sonny Boy." on The New York Times' podcast "The Interview" when he recounted how in 2020 he fell sick at his home from Covid and the situation quickly became dicey.
Pacino said that he had a fever and was dehydrated with a faint pulse and that he lost consciousness.
"I was sitting there at my house, and I was gone. Like that," Pacino said, audibly snapping his fingers. "I didn't have a pulse.
"In a matter of minutes, I guess, or whatever it took, they were there," he added. "I had about six paramedics in that living room, and there were two doctors, and they had these outfits that looked like they were from outer space or something."
After he regained consciousness, he recalled, "It was kind of shocking to open your eyes and see that. I opened my eyes and everybody was around me — the first time that's ever happened." He said medical personnel reacted by saying, "He's back. He's here."
Although he almost died, Pacino said he didn't remember anything profound when he lost consciousness. "I didn't see the white light or anything like that," he said. "There's nothing there."
"You're gone," Pacino said of his brush with death. "Now I started thinking about that, and I never thought about it in my life. But you know actors, it sounds good to me to say I died once. It felt like death. What is it when there's no more?"
Throughout his nearly six-decade career, Pacino has cemented himself as one of Hollywood's leading men with roles such as Michael Corleone in "The Godfather," Tony Montana in "Scarface" and his Academy Award-winning starring role in 1992's "Scent of a Woman."
Pacino made headlines last year when, at age 83, he became a father for the fourth time, welcoming a baby boy named Roman.
Hyman Roth couldn't get him, but Covid almost did.
I've been pondering death lately as my mother went into the hospital with COVID and never recovered - her funeral is on Saturday. Then on Sunday night just as I was falling asleep a guy shot another (over a woman) next door to us. The neighbor woman's mother was at the house and had used a hose to wash the blood from the garage floor where the man was gunned down. It's been a really dark few weeks...
I'm so sorry about your mother passing. It's difficult losing a parent especially when you're not ready.
Thanks. We expected that anytime mom would go in it would be her last. It's harder on my sisters who lived with her and saw her everyday, but they seem to be doing all right.
I know that feeling. catching the shadow of the grim reaper out of the corner of your eye, fleeting by you on his way to or from his appointed rounds. awaiting that final lottery for when your numbers come in. as someone that has avoided any kind of planning for almost 70 years, I have a plan for my end. I don't know how or when and I no longer care. it's mentally liberating and has given me back my total spontaneity and disregard for any negativity.
unfortunately, one side effect of my written instructions for the dispersal of worldly goods was temporarily traumatizing for my daughter, but after a brief discussion, that was quickly resolved. no, there's nothing that I should be telling you, it's just the passwords to my phone and laptop, life insurance policy, car title, and how to avoid probate by zeroing out my accounts while I'm laying in the county fridge waiting for my ride to the crematorium. I'm ready, and until that time, I'm living my life as though I'm immortal.
Good philosophy
we'll see. I neglected to mention that I'm also armed full time now and have zero patience for thumpers or maga.
I had a heart attack a week before Christmas in 2021. In the emergency room they told me my heart function was no more than 20%. A few days later while being prepped for a stent (they couldnt do it right away because my blood pressure was too low) I started gasping for breath, which was the worst physical feeling I've ever had. Doctors and nurses were in full emergency mode with me. The cardiologist later told a family member that they were less than a minute away from losing me.
Since then my attitude toward death has changed, I see it as more unavoidable now. Almost three years later I still cannot walk totally normally (when I walk down the street people think I am drunk because I stagger some) .
But brushing with death is freeing in a way, you no longer care much what other people think of you, and facing mortality actually calms you down.
I have chemo induced neuropathy in my feet that makes me a bit wobbly. I been using this walking stick and like the design compared to a cane.
2 years ago after I had gotten my blood work done, my Dr asks me to tell him about my recent stroke or heart attack... ... uh, ... huh?
Did you possibly have a mini stroke or heart attack and didn't know?
meh, I'm still here, fuck it ...
that's what they were thinking, but that would be like me trying to remember what I had for lunch on some random day in the last 6 months. I don't remember feeling sick.
Are we sure it was covid and not some other underlying condition? Keep in mind his age. There is a laundry list of other things that could have brought this on. We also can't forget how many people's cause of death was mislabeled as Covid.