Al Pacino, the legendary Oscar-winning actor, recently shared a harrowing experience from 2020 when he came dangerously close to death due to Covid-19. In interviews with The New York Times and People, the 84-year-old revealed shocking details of his encounter with the virus and how it made him reflect on the concept of life after death.
Pacino recalled that during the early days of the pandemic, he began feeling unusually unwell. He developed a fever, became severely dehydrated, and eventually lost consciousness at his home. “I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone,” he said, recounting the moment when his pulse stopped. His nurse couldn’t detect a pulse, and that’s when his assistant swiftly acted, calling for an ambulance.
Within minutes, Pacino found himself revived by paramedics, waking up in a room filled with people dressed in protective gear. “They had these outfits on that looked like they were from outer space or something,” Pacino joked, describing the surreal sight as he regained consciousness.
Although medical professionals and those around him were convinced he had briefly died, Pacino remains uncertain. “I thought I experienced death. I might not have. I don’t think I have, really,” he admitted. Nonetheless, the experience had a profound metaphysical impact on him. “You’re here, you’re not. I thought: Wow, you don’t even have your memories. You have nothing. Strange porridge.”
In his candid reflections on death, the actor said he didn’t experience any of the familiar stories of near-death experiences. “I didn’t see the white light or anything. There’s nothing there,” Pacino explained, referencing Shakespeare’s Hamlet to articulate his thoughts. “As Hamlet says, ‘The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.’ And he says two words: ‘no more.’ It was no more.”
Interestingly, despite the intensity of the experience, Pacino maintains that it didn’t change how he lives his life. “Not at all,” he told People. Yet, it’s clear that the encounter left him with a deeper philosophical outlook, as he now contemplates the unknown with a bit more gravity.
Pacino’s story, along with many other personal revelations, will be featured in his upcoming autobiography, Sonny Boy, set for release on Tuesday. In it, the actor dives deeper into his reflections on life, death, and everything in between, offering a raw glimpse into the mind of one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures.
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