11 Celebrities Who Have Had Near-Death Experiences
From nearly fatal plane crashes to grave illnesses, learn which surprising celebs have had a brush with death.
Invincible as they may seem, celebrities are not immune to fate and all that it may bring. Many people have an experience in which, had it not been for x, y, or z, they may not still be here today. Near-death experiences often shape who we are, as they serve as reality checks and reminders that we’re only on this Earth for so long. Take a look at the following celebrities who've experienced such, and are wiser for it.
Amid her 2023 world tour, Madonna was admitted to the intensive care unit for a serious bacterial infection. Though all further performances have been postponed, the superstar is expected to make a full recovery.
Renowned actress and L’OFFICIEL USA cover star Sharon Stone is no stranger to near-death experiences. As a child, Stone was both struck by lighting a sixteenth of an inch away from her jugular vein. This stream of luck followed the actress into her adulthood, as she later suffered a stroke in 2001. The experience served as the intro to and meaning behind her new book The Beauty of Living Twice.
While on the set of her film Onassis: The Richest Man in the World, actress Jane Seymour went into anaphylactic shock after being administered an antibiotic to treat her bronchitis. “You take nothing with you in this life,” the actress realized in hindsight. Since then, Seymour has dedicated her life to spending time with her loved ones, determined to not waste her time on this earth.
‘50s Hollywood-favorite Elizabeth Taylor opened up about her near-death experience on The Oprah Winfrey Show back in 1992, nearly 30 years after the occurrence. After falling ill with pneumonia, Taylor underwent surgery and was pronounced dead for 5 minutes. After coming to, the actress claimed she had an out-of-body experience, during which she saw her late husband, Mike Todd, who told her “It’s not your time… you have to fight to go back.”
Singer and actress, Demi Lovato has always been vocal about her struggles with addiction. In her YouTube Original docuseries, Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, she recounts the fatal night of her relapse in 2018. After six years of sobriety, the singer overdosed on opioids and was found unconscious by her assistant. Had the paramedics shown up just 10 minutes later than they did, Lovato may not have made it.
The Game of Thrones actress suffered two brain aneurysms in the span of two years. In 2011, Clarke collapsed while working out at the gym, and was later diagnosed with a subarachnoid hemorrhage. After being held in an ICU for a week, the actress recovered. Later in 2013, the actress suffered another aneurysm which required an intrusive surgery that hospitalized her for a month. Clarke’s two fatal health scares led the actress to start a charity, SameYou, which works to assist those in recovery from brain injuries.
Efron’s brush with death occurred on a work trip to Papua New Guinea. The actor, who had been filming his Netflix docu-series on the island, fell ill after contracting a deadly infection. He was later flown to the neighboring country Australia and treated by doctors. The actor later thanked his fans for their concern via Instagram, “Very thankful to everyone who has reached out. I did get sick in Papua New Guinea but I bounced back quick and finished an amazing three weeks in P.N.G. I'm home for the holidays with my friends and family.”
Much like his Titanic character Jack Dawson, Leo Dicaprio’s had his fair share of travel-related near-death experiences. On a flight to Russia, the acclaimed actor witnessed the engine of the plane blow up upon takeoff, requiring an emergency landing at JFK. The actor has also experienced some close calls due to his thrill-seeking adventures. He had a parachute malfunction while skydiving once and was almost attacked by a great white shark while scuba diving in South Africa.
In 2008, the Blink-182 drummer narrowly escaped a deadly plane crash that killed four other passengers. Barker suffered severe third-degree burns and post-traumatic stress disorder from the accident. However, two months later, the artist returned to the studio. "It was really exciting to know I still have my chops. It still felt good," Barker told MTV in his first TV interview after the crash. "I still can make it around the kit. Everything felt right, so I'm thankful to be able to play,"
While performing a stunt on the set of her Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet, Drew Barrymore took a hard fall on the concrete. "It was fucking terrifying. It was very serious. I've never had a feeling like that in my life," said the actress. After emergency calls by the crew, paramedics brought Barrymore to the hospital where she spent two days in recovery.
In 2019, Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston boarded a plane to Mexico to celebrate Aniston's 50th birthday. However, after a tire burst during take-off, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. While the Friends co-stars emerged unscathed, they were still shaken from the experience. "I have to say, we were in the air for four hours, burning off fuel, and just thought of what it is going to be like when we land," Cox remembered.
Before moving to the States to start his acting career, Liam Hemsworth grew up in Australia where he regularly surfed with his friends and family. However, there was one time he almost didn't make it back to shore. "When I was a kid, one time I got my leg rope wrapped around my whole body like a ball, underwater," he said of the incident. "Couldn't get up. I was in waist-deep water, but I almost drowned."
