These Hollywood cats with nine lives all cheated death
From harrowing health crises to freak accidents, these Hollywood stars have faced their own mortality and lived to tell the tale.
'This kind of giant vortex of white light was upon me and — poof!...' These Hollywood cats with nine lives all cheated death
From harrowing health crises to freak accidents, these Hollywood stars have faced their own mortality and lived to tell the tale.
Following the news that Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello survived multiple near-death experiences over a brutal decade-long health battle, we look at the celebrities who came incredibly close to the edge - and how the terrifying experiences changed their lives forever.
Harrison Ford
The legendary Star Wars actor has cheated death multiple times in the cockpit of his aircraft, most severely during a 2015 emergency crash-landing on a California golf course after engine failure that left him with a broken pelvis and broken ankle.
Reflecting on the terrifying moment the engine died, Ford told The Ellen DeGeneres Show: "I remember the engine failing. I remember the tower. I remember their suggestion... And I remember the golf course."
The Indiana Jones legend later summed up his thoughts on flying safely after his multiple brushes with mortality by stating: "I want to be as helpful as I can. If you don't take it seriously, it will bite you."
Emilia Clarke
The Game of Thrones star suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms while filming the hit fantasy series, with the second requiring invasive open-brain surgery. Doctors told her that a remarkable amount of her brain was no longer usable after the trauma.
Amazed by her own recovery, Clarke later remarked: "The amount of my brain that is no longer usable — it's remarkable that I am able to speak, sometimes articulately, and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussions."
She added: "I am in the really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that."
Travis Barker
The Blink-182 drummer was one of only two survivors of a horrific 2008 South Carolina plane crash that killed four people and left him with third-degree burns over 65 per cent of his body.
Barker spent over 11 weeks in hospital and the mental trauma kept him grounded for over a decade.
When he finally found the strength to fly again years later, Barker opened up about the milestone, stating: "I made a deal with myself that if I ever flew again, I would just appreciate everything so much more."
Sharon Stone
The Basic Instinct actress came face-to-face with death in 2001 when she suffered a massive nine-day brain bleed that gave her a mere one per cent chance of survival.
Stone recalls entering a deeply spiritual realm during the medical emergency, later describing the out-of-body experience by saying: "This kind of giant vortex of white light was upon me and — poof! I sort of took off into this glorious, bright white light."
She added: "I started to see and be met by some of my friends... people who were very, very dear to me."
Jeremy Renner
The Marvel superstar was nearly crushed to death on New Year's Day in 2023 when his 14,000-pound snowplow ran him over, breaking more than 30 bones. Renner revealed that he was fully conscious through the entire agonising ordeal.
The two-time Oscar nominee later opened up about his thoughts in the hospital bed, admitting: "I was writing down notes on my phone, saying my last words to my family, because I truly thought I was going to die right there."
