Legendary actor Al Pacino, 84, recently revealed in an interview that he nearly died in 2020 after contracting the COVID-19 pandemic, crediting medical personnel with saving his life after a harrowing near-death experience.
Speaking in a joint interview with The New York Times and People magazine, the Oscar-winning actor recounted his battle with the coronavirus, stating that he briefly lost his pulse.
Pacino told The New York Times that he initially felt "very unwell," which quickly progressed to fever and dehydration. "I was sitting at home, feeling like I had disappeared," he recounted. "I had no pulse at the time."
"Your body is there, but your soul is gone. My impression at the time was: Wow, you don't even have memories, nothing. It was a strange sense of chaos."
Within minutes, an ambulance arrived at Pacino's residence. He regained consciousness in his living room, surrounded by six paramedics and two doctors.
"They were wearing those protective suits, looking like something from outer space," he told The New York Times. "It was really shocking to open my eyes and see that scene. Everyone was around me, saying, 'He's back, he's here!'"
Pacino recalled a sense of confusion upon regaining consciousness, thinking, "What happened to me?"
Pacino also mentioned that "everyone" around him at the time believed he had passed away, but he questioned if he truly experienced death. "I feel like I've been through death. Maybe not. I don't think I really went through it. I know I survived," he stated, also crediting his excellent assistant for immediately calling 911 after his caregivers confirmed he had no pulse.
Unlike many who recount near-death experiences, Pacino said he did not "see a white light." "Nothing, you just disappear. I never thought about such a thing. But you know, as an actor, it sounds cool to say you've died once. But what is it like when you no longer exist?"
Pacino's harrowing experience is detailed in his autobiography, "Sonny Boy," which is set to be released on Tuesday.