Al Pacino Opens Up About His Near-Death COVID Experience

Nearly four years after contracting COVID-19 in 2020, actor Al Pacino is revealing the harrowing details of his near-death experience ahead of his book Sonny Boy, a memoir that will describe everything from his childhood in the South Bronx to his time on The Godfather and beyond.

In a recent episode of The New York Times podcast The Interview , the 84-year-old revealed that when he first contracted the virus he experienced severe dehydration, which led a nurse to be called to his house. That's when the situation took a turn for the worse.

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"So I got someone to get me a nurse to hydrate me. I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone. Like that. I didn’t have a pulse. In a matter of minutes they were there—the ambulance in front of my house," he said. "I had about six paramedics in that living room, and there were two doctors, and they had these outfits on that looked like they were from outer space or something."

While he was raised catholic, The Godfather actor stated he never really thought about what death might look like, explaining "I didn't see the white light or anything."

However, upon reflecting on the experience he did get a little philosophical stating " As Hamlet says, 'To be or not to be'; 'The undiscovered country from whose bourn, no traveler returns.' And he says two words: 'no more.' It was no more. You’re gone. I’d never thought about it in my life."

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