William Shatner got a new lease on life and death after dealing with stage four melanoma three years ago.
The beloved sci-fi legend, 95, revealed back in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, tragically at the same time as his daughter Melanie, who had been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.
© Getty ImagesThankfully, though, both were able to make full recoveries and are now cancer-free. But the experience served to teach the actor that life can be fleeting, and it's worth exploring all you can while you still can.
William Shatner on the one "fear" he has about death
"My daughter and I are doing a podcast called No Time to Die," he explained in a new interview with TVLine. "We both had, at the same time, a diagnosis of stage four cancer three years ago, and through the magic of medicine, we're both cancer-free."
"And as a result of being told it's possible you could die in a few months, it sharpened our attention to each other and my whole family. And also, what do you want to do with the remaining years?"
The Star Trek actor noted that ever since his health scare, he'd become "fearful" of not getting all of life's questions he'd wanted answered, and not pushing his curiosity far enough. "I'm always asking questions, because the older I get, the more fearful I will be to die with a question on my mind, like, 'What about…,' and I don't have a chance to look it up on ChatGPT!"
Star Trek icon looks back on cancer battle
"What's the meaning of life?! Damn; the meaning of life is — and boom! I'm dead," he quipped. "It's the fear of not knowing what you could have learned. I get excited by comprehending and apprehending information."
© Getty ImagesWhen asked how he views himself now as a 95-year-old, the T.J. Hooker star joked: "It took two years of treatment to become cancer-free. [At the time] it didn't occur to me that I was gonna die. But at 95, I'm sensing the leaves are getting a little yellow and falling off the tree. But OK, chlorophyll will renew them! And that's my attitude even as we speak."
Why the actor wants to keep going
Speaking exclusively with HELLO! recently, the actor opened up about his approach to death, especially as a working actor and a father, to both his daughters and his pet dogs.
© Getty Images"I don't want to die. That's my motivation," he shared of his changing wellness routine in recent years. "I'm looking at 95. Are you kidding me? I want to stay healthy and functioning, and I'd like to pass away in my sleep because…I have people I love, my family, my dogs."
"The animals get to be central in your life, and you know dogs live 10, 15 years," he continued. "I've had two dogs because I feel very strongly that a dog needs to pack up at least with one more dog, so they were not lonely and waiting for you to come home."
© Getty Images"I think with sadness that one of us is going to die before the other, and I'll be sadder if they die before me. I'll relinquish my sadness if I die before them."
