Al Pacino is one of the greatest living actors, well known for his appearances in classic films such as The Godfather trilogy, Scarface, and Dog Day Afternoon. He is still going strong at 84 years old, continuing to perform in films and even becoming a father again.
However, the Oscar-winner recently claimed that he had a near-death experience after getting Covid-19, and how the incident influenced his thoughts on the afterlife.
In a new interview with the New York Times, Pacino revealed that he nearly died from Covid in 2020. He stated that he was at home and began to feel “unusually not good,” with dehydration and a temperature.
After phoning for a nurse, Pacino claims to have suddenly lost vital signs: “I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone. Just like that. “I didn’t have a pulse,” he explained.
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Pacino claims he awoke minutes later, surrounded by physicians and paramedics dressed in protective gear (“like they were from outer space or something,” he says).
“It was very frightening to open your eyes and witness that. Everyone was surrounding me, and they said, ‘He’s back. “He’s here.” Pacino recalled to the Times.
“Everybody thought I was dead,” he told People magazine. “The nurse that was taking care of me said, ‘I don’t feel a pulse on this guy.'”
“I thought I had died. I might not have. I honestly don’t think I have. “I know I made it.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 19: Al Pacino speaks with Al Pacino at The 92nd Street Y, New York on April 19, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images.))
Many people who have had near-death experiences have claimed afterlife-like sensations, such as images of deceased relatives inviting them to “come to the light,” and so on.
But Pacino claims he had no such visions of a great beyond; in fact, his brush with death confirmed to him that the end is truly the end.
“I did not see the white light or anything. “There is nothing there,” he told The New York Times.
“As Hamlet says, ‘To be or not to be,’ and ‘The uncharted place from which no traveler returns.’ He then says two words: ‘no more.’ It was no more. You are gone. I’d never considered it in my life. But, you know, actors: It sounds good to say you died once. What happens when there is no more?
While many people find the finality of death terrifying, Pacino says he finds comfort in his children and the lasting body of work he will leave behind.
And it turns out that Pacino was unmoved by his brush with death: when questioned by People if it changed how he spends his life, the actor responded, “Not at all.”
Even at his senior age, Pacino is a prolific performer, having acted in films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman (for his role as Jimmy Hoffa, he received his ninth Academy Award nomination), and Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci.
Pacino, 83, became a father again this summer, welcoming his fourth kid with Noor Alfallah, his then-29-year-old partner.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 24: Noor Alfallah and Al Pacino arrive for a Bad Bunny music video shoot on August 24, 2023 in New York City. (Photo: Gotham/GC Images)
Al Pacino is one of the best cinematic performers of all time, and we’re delighted he survived his near-death experience!