We’re used to hearing about celebrities who have almost died of overdoses – this story has become all too familiar thanks to stars like Heath Ledger, Cory Monteith and Whitney Houston. But what about those celebrities who almost died while going about their day-to-day business? Believe it or not, there are several stars who have narrowly escaped death and lived to tell the tale. From Jane Seymour and Rachel Bilson to George Lucas and Sharon Stone, we have all the details on these celebs and their near-death experiences. Here are 9 stars who have almost died:
9. Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour almost died when she was filming the movie Onassis: The Richest Man in the World. She came down with bronchitis while filming, so the producer decided to have her pumped full of antibiotics at a medical center to speed up her recovery. Disaster struck, however, when the nurse injected the antibiotic into a vein instead of the muscle. Seymour went into anaphylactic shock. “The nurse that had administered it saved my life by injecting me with cortisone and adrenaline, but I did actually leave my body, see the white light, see the people resuscitating me and all of that,” the Wedding Crashers actress said.
2
8. Eric Roberts
When he was just starting to establish himself as an actor, Eric Roberts – Julia Robert’s brother and Emma Roberts’ father – was involved in a serious car accident that left him comatose for three days with a bruised brain, broken bones and facial trauma. Although he survived, his left-hand ring finger was permanently disfigured and his facial features were roughened as a result. Because of the change in his looks, Roberts initially was only offered roles as villains after the accident.
3
7. George Lucas
When he was in high school, George Lucas almost died after a severe car accident. The successful filmmaker was driving home from school when a car slammed into the side of his vehicle, causing it to flip several times. Lucas was left with several broken ribs and two collapsed lungs. “Maybe there is a reason I survived this accident that nobody should have survived. I was hit broadside by a car that was going about 90 miles per hour. I should have been dead,” Lucas said.
4
6. Tracy Morgan
The 30 Rock star was left in critical condition in 2014 after he was involved in a multi-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike. One person who was riding in his limo bus, James McNair, died in the crash while Morgan was in a coma for eight days and suffered broken ribs, a broken nose, a broken leg and a severe brain injury, and it took daily speech, cognitive, occupational and physical therapies for him to finally overcome his brain injury and learn to walk again. Shortly after the accident, he sued Walmart, who employed the truck driver responsible for the crash, for negligence and received an undisclosed amount.
5
5. 50 Cent
Rapper 50 Cent was shot nine times at close range in front of his grandma’s house. He was hit in the hand, arm, hip, both legs, chest, and face. “After I got shot nine times at close range and didn’t die, I started to think that I must have a purpose in life. How much more damage could that shell have done? Give me an inch in this direction or that one, and I’m gone,” he said. Only a few years after the shooting, 50 Cent managed to breakthrough and became internationally known for his rapping.
6
4. Travis Barker
Travis Barker was critically injured back in 2008 when the Learjet he was on crashed while attempting to take off. The plane ran the runway and crashed on a nearby road before it burst into flames with six people aboard. Barker and DJ AM were the only two who were able to escape. Barker suffered second and third-degree burns covering approximately a third of his body; however, he was able to make a full recovery.
7
3. Sharon Stone
In 2001, Sharon Stone almost died when she suffered a brain hemorrhage. Although she made a full recovery, the process was arduous. “I came out of the hospital with short and long-term memory loss. My lower left leg was numb. I couldn’t hear out of my right ear. The side of my face was falling down. I thought, ‘I’ll never be pretty again. Who’s going to want to be around me?” the Basic Instinct star said.
8
2. Kayne West
In 2002, when he was still a complete nobody, Kanye West was cut off while driving and ended up running head-on into traffic, colliding with another car. The accident was devastating for the rapper. He had to have reconstructive surgery for his face and spent weeks in the hospital recovering. To make matters worse, he had no health insurance, so he had to pay for everything out of pocket. Despite all of his suffering, West ended up writing one of his breakthrough songs – “Through the Wire” – while he was in the hospital.
9
1. Rachel Bilson
When she was 16, Rachel Bilson and her friends were involved in a head-on collision on the Pacific Coast Highway, which almost killed them all. “I was with my girlfriend and these two guys driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. We were going really fast and we were involved in a head-on collision with a truck. We were in a tiny car and it was a pretty bad crash. They had to cut us out and I was in a coma for a few days,” the Hart of Dixie star said. Bilson reportedly has a scar above her right eye from the crash and she also sometimes suffers from migraines and memory loss as a result.