Al Pacino shared that he almost died of COVID-19 in 2020.
He recounted the harrowing experience, which left him without a pulse for several minutes, over the weekend. At the time, a vaccine hadn't been developed.
"They said my pulse was gone. It was so — you’re here, you’re not. I thought: Wow, you don’t even have your memories. You have nothing. Strange porridge," the 84-year-old actor told The New York Times.
Pacino recalled having a fever and dehydration before losing consciousness.
"I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone. Like that. I didn’t have a pulse," he said.
The "Godfather" star woke up to find a medical team comprising of paramedics and doctors in his living room.
"They had these outfits on that looked like they were from outer space or something," he said. "It was kind of shocking to open your eyes and see that. Everybody was around me, and they said: ‘He’s back. He’s here.’"
The Oscar winner shared that he didn't experience any visions, such as a white light, during his near-death experience, stating that "there’s nothing there" after death. However, the event led him to contemplate life and existence.
"As Hamlet says, ‘To be or not to be’; ‘The undiscovered country from whose bourn, no traveler returns.’ And he says two words: ‘No more.’ It was no more. You’re gone. I’d never thought about it in my life," Pacino said. "But you know actors: It sounds good to say I died once. What is it when there’s no more?"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.