Al Pacino almost lost his life after COVID scare, says he ‘didn’t have a pulse’

Al Pacino revealed that his pulse stopped and he nearly lost his life after contracting COVID-19 in 2020.

The 84-year-old, a highly acclaimed actor with over 70 films to his name, described his close call with death as a surreal experience.

Speaking to The New York Times, he recounted feeling unwell, having a fever, and being dehydrated before suddenly becoming gravely ill.

“I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone. Just like that. I didn’t have a pulse,” he said.

“In a matter of minutes, the ambulance arrived at my house. I had about six paramedics in my living room, along with two doctors wearing outfits that looked like they were from outer space.”

“It was quite shocking to wake up and see that. Everyone was around me, saying, ‘He’s back. He’s here’.”

Reflecting on his near-death experience, he stated: “They said my pulse had disappeared. It was so surreal – one moment you’re here, the next you’re not. I thought, ‘Wow, you don’t even have your memories. You have nothing. Like strange porridge’.”

A father of four, Pacino welcomed his youngest son, Roman, just last year, with his partner, Noor Alfallah, 30.

Pacino expressed that his new child has motivated him to “stick around a little longer, if possible”.

Reflecting on his own mortality, Pacino referred to children as “a consolation,” stating, “It’s natural, I suppose, to have a different perspective on death as one gets older. It’s just the way of things. I didn’t seek it. It just happens, like many things in life.”

‘If I was dead, I fainted’

In an interview with People magazine, Pacino questioned whether his previous brush with death was as close as he thought.

He mused, “I thought I experienced death. Maybe I didn’t really. I don’t think I did. I know I survived.

“I don’t believe I died. Everyone thought I was gone. How could I be dead? If I was dead, I must have fainted.

“So, I couldn’t have died because how did all those people come together, the ambulance in front of my house?”

An Oscar, Tony, and Emmy winner, Pacino – known for his method acting – is most famous for his role as Michael Corleone in the 1972 film The Godfather.

He recently presented the best actor Oscar at this year’s ceremony, inadvertently causing controversy by forgetting to announce the nominees before revealing the winner.

His latest film, Modi, Three Days On The Wing Of Madness, premiered at the San Sebastian film festival last week.

Pacino will be releasing his memoir, Sonny Boy, later this month.