Al Pacino Reveals He Nearly Died of COVID-19 and Shares His Thoughts on the Afterlife

Al Pacino recently disclosed that he nearly died after contracting COVID-19 in 2020 and reflected on his near-death experience, offering insights into his thoughts on the afterlife. The 84-year-old Oscar-winning actor opened up in interviews with The New York Times and People magazine, sharing the harrowing details of his brush with death.

In a candid conversation with The Times, Pacino recalled feeling “unusually not good” after developing a fever and severe dehydration. He then described the moment when his pulse vanished. “I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone. I didn’t have a pulse,” Pacino recounted. He said that he briefly lost all sensation and memory, describing the experience as a “strange porridge” of nothingness.

Pacino was quickly revived when paramedics arrived at his home. He recalled the surreal moment when he opened his eyes to find six paramedics and two doctors surrounding him, wearing full protective gear. “It was kind of shocking,” he said, adding that they confirmed his revival by stating, “He’s back. He’s here.”

In his interview with People, Pacino recalled waking up feeling confused and unaware of what had transpired. He pondered whether he had actually died, despite everyone around him believing he had passed away. “I thought I experienced death. I might not have,” he admitted, but acknowledged, “I know I made it.”

Pacino credited his “great assistant” for contacting paramedics immediately when his nurse reported that he had no pulse, a move that likely saved his life.

Although the actor survived the ordeal, he confessed that it didn’t change his approach to life. “Not at all,” he told People when asked if the health scare had influenced his lifestyle. However, the event did leave him pondering deeper metaphysical questions about existence and death.

Preparing for his role in an upcoming movie adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear, Pacino reflected on his brief encounter with mortality. He explained that, unlike many who report near-death experiences involving white lights or spiritual visions, he saw nothing. Quoting Hamlet, Pacino said, “‘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.”

Pacino’s near-death experience and his reflections on life, death, and the afterlife are further detailed in his forthcoming autobiography Sonny Boy, set for release on Tuesday.