Just a few days ago, Professor John All remarkably survived a 70 foot fall in the Himalayas. Despite having broken ribs, a broken arm and dislocated shoulders, he managed to pull himself up in six hours using an icepick.
Here are 5 celebrities who have also survived some near-death experiences.
1) Kanye West
Back in 2002 when West wasn’t really known worldwide as he is now, he was in a very serious car accident. After finishing late in the studio at 3am, he was cut off while in his rented lexus and ran head-on into traffic. The collision with the other car caused the rapper some serious injuries (see the photo, here).
“My jaw was broken in three places, I had nasal fractures — I’d be talking to people and my nose would start bleeding”
Kanye managed to turn a series of bad events into a song that was then nominated for a grammy – Through the Wire. The song is inspired by his accident and it pays particular reference to the wires used to hold his broken jaw together.
2) Orlando Bloom
At the age of 21 (the age this kind of thing can be forgiven) a young Orlando Bloom tried to climb a rooftop terrace via a drainpipe. When the drainpipe collapsed, Bloom fell three stories and broke several vertebrae in his back – paralysing him for four days. He told Men’s Health:
“I’m grateful for it, it hasn’t prevented me from doing anything, but it’s a constant reminder”
It took multiple surgeries and 18 months of rehab to get him back on track and when he did, the first thing on his agenda was filming The Lord of the Rings.
3) Drew Barrymore
In a series of stories published on IMDB, Drew Barrymore’s lucky escape becomes apparent. It’s all thanks to the dog who barked to alert Drew and her boyfriend, that they were able to escape a fire that started in their home after an electrical fault. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the damage came to an estimated $700,000! It must have been some fire as it took 60 fire-fighters nearly an hour to extinguish.
“I thought it would be good for my future children, that it was all taken away, it was something I need to examine. I believe it happened for spiritual reasons”
Drew’s appreciation for her four-legged friend can be seen as what inspired her to donate money to The ASPCA Animal Disaster Relief Fund that helps stranded pets and their owners.
4) Gerard Butler
While filming Of Mice and Mavericks, Butler nearly drowned during a surfing scene. According to surfer Zach Wormhoudt, Gerard was held underwater for two waves and washed through some rocks while tethered to his 10-foot surfboard. When Gerard recalled the events he said:
“This was one of the few times reports weren’t exaggerated, it was a pretty close call. This wave spread across the skyline and it came and it was about 30 feet high and I was just tumbling, I felt the next wave go, and then it all started all over again.”
Luckily, the actor was not seriously harmed. He remained calm until a safety patrolman on a jetski came to his rescue and then taken to hospital for some checks before being released.
5) Rachel Bilson
While growing up in L.A and at just 14 years old, Rachel Bilson found herself in a car with a bunch of her ‘fast-living friends’ on the freeway. The crash resulted in the star needing to be cut out of the vehicle, she was then in a coma for three days and suffered some facial injuries and memory problems.
“They were just goofing around in the car, a guy grabbed the steering wheel and we went into oncoming traffic…l don’t remember any of it…I don’t have much of a memory now and I think it’s because of that accident.”
However, Rachel seemed determined to not let her narrow escape from death hinder her chances at what is now a successful acting career. Instead, she said it helped her get away from the wrong crowd, allowing her to pursue her dreams.
6) Donald Sutherland
The man who played the character, Hawkeye Piece, in the movie version of Mash, had a near-death experience when ill with meningitis in 1979. He describes his experience like this:
“Suddenly the pain, fever and acute distress seemed to evaporate. I was floating above my body, surrounded by soft blue light. I began to glide down a long tunnel, away from the bed … but suddenly I found myself back in my body. The doctors told me later that I had actually died for a time.”
7) Sharon Stone
The Basic Instinct star has told of how she experienced a white light during her brain scare. The Actress almost died after internal bleeding caused by a tear in an artery at the base of her skull. SWhen interview about her apparent journey into the afterlife, Stone said:
“When it hit me I felt like I’d been shot in the head. That’s the only way I can really describe it. It hit me so hard it knocked me over on the sofa. And Phil was out of town and I called him and said, “I think I had a stroke.” But in all fairness, I’m a person who’s always saying, “I think I’ve had a stroke, I think I’ve had a heart attack, I think I’ve had a brain hemorrhage … I had a real journey with this that took me to places both here and beyond that affected me so profoundly that my life will never be the same … I get to be not afraid of dying and I get to tell other people that it’s a fabulous thing and that death is a gift. And not that you should kill yourself, but that when death comes to you, as it will, that it’s a glorious and beautiful thing. This kind of giant vortex of white light was upon me and I kind of – poof! Sort of took off into this glorious, bright, bright, bright white light and I started to see and be met by some of my friends. But it was very fast – whoosh! Suddenly, I was back. I was in my body and I was in the room.”
Whether they saw a white light, or not, tell us about any near-death experiences someone you know has experienced in the comments below.