Cheating death can be the ultimate flex, but for some people, avoiding the Pearly Gates might also be an eye-opening experience that redefines one’s entire understanding of life itself. These 10 celebrities came uncomfortably close to the other side, but miraculously lived to tell the tale of what they saw (or didn’t see) in the great beyond.
10. Nikki Sixx
The Mötley Crüe bassist was dead for around two minutes due to a heroin overdose. This happened in 1987, when he was partying with musicians from Guns N’ Roses and Ratt. Sixx recalls having an out-of-body experience, which inspired the song “Kickstart My Heart”.
9. Al Pacino
Ill with fever and severe dehydration, Al Pacino was declared dead momentarily in the early days of the COVID pandemic. Unlike other celebrities who lived through a similar experience, the actor asserts he “didn’t see a white light or anything.”
8. Burt Reynolds
The legendary actor suffered an on-set accident while filming City Heat. He was hit over the head with a metal chair instead of a prop, leaving him with a broken jaw and long-term pain. He suffered from a Halcion (a sleep aid) withdrawal that left him in a coma for almost ten hours.
7. Donald Sutherland
In 1968, Sutherland almost succumbed to the pneumococcus bacterium. Sutherland relates seeing a blue tunnel and a matte white light waiting for him on the other side, before he was brought back to his senses.
6. Slash
The Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist had a close brush with death by an overdose in San Francisco in 1992. Slash only remembers falling to the ground and being revived by the paramedics, but nothing in between.
5. Tracy Morgan
Comedian Tracy Morgan’s limo was rear-ended by a Walmart truck in 2014. The crash killed comedian Uncle Jimmy Mack and sent Morgan on a spiritual journey, and according to him, God told him He still had something for Morgan to do—before sending him back to life.
4. Elizabeth Taylor
Taylor fell severely ill with pneumonia while filming Cleopatra. According to the legendary actress, she was pronounced dead four times, spending up to five minutes without vital signs. Taylor was eventually stabilized, but not before meeting with departed relatives “on the other side”.
3. Jamie Foxx
In 2023, Foxx suffered a brain bleed that quickly turned into a stroke. He recalls seeing the otherworldly “tunnel” people describe in near-death experiences, but jokes that “I thought I saw the devil.” Fortunately, he has since made a full recovery.
2. Ozzy Osbourne
The Prince of Darkness almost crossed to the other side before his time when he was involved in a traffic incident. Despite the close call, the musician made a complete recovery. Sadly, he ultimately passed away this July, due to complications related to his Parkinson’s disease.
1. Jeremy Renner
The Avengers star suffered grisly injuries due to a snowplow accident in early 2023, including a punctured liver and having one of his eyeballs “popped out of his skull”. He temporarily died on the ambulance ride to the hospital, before coming back to life and making a full recovery.
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