Celebs Who’ve Almost Died

It may seem like celebs have the perfect life but more than a few have almost lost it in nearly fatal accidents and unexpected medical complications.

In fact, quite a number of celebrities are lucky to be alive.

Here are a collection of stars who’ve had close brushes with death.

1. Leonardo Dicaprio

During a scuba diving expedition in the Galapagos Islands, Leonardo Dicaprio’s oxygen tank failed. Thankfully, friend Edward Norton noticed right away and was able to share air with him and bring him to the surface.

Leo has also shared close encounters while skydiving, swimming with great white sharks in South Africa, and a near plane crash

“If a cat has nine lives, I think I’ve used a few,” Leonardo told Wired.

2. Chad Michael Murray

When Chad Michael Murray was just 15-years-old he was hospitalized after his intestines became twisted and doctors didn’t realize he was internally bleeding.

“This sounds so stupid…but because I was in physical good condition, my abdomen was tight and when I started bleeding internally, my stomach didn’t expand. Basically, my abs kept it flat so the doctors couldn’t tell I was bleeding,” Chad said on The Jess Cagle Show.

He added, “I almost died. They had a priest at the end of my bed. I remember, it was the only time I ever saw my dad cry — well, one of two times.”

Chad says it was a nurse who saved his life by going “against the grain” and giving him units of blood. Thankfully, he was then able to make a full recovery.

3. Zac Efron

Zac Efron had a brush with death while biking with Hugh Jackman and was almost run over by a double decker bus in London.

“I cycled with him in London, but I’m not one to ride a bike early in the morning in traffic so it turned out to be quite dangerous,” Zac said on The Graham Norton Show. “I followed Hugh around a few cars and suddenly there was a double decker bus right in front of me. I slammed on the brakes, went under the front tire, and narrowly missed death.”

4. Travis Barker

Travis Barker came close to death when he was in a plane crash that killed four other people in 2008. Travis suffered second and third-degree burns and lost two close friends.

“I know every day since that crash has been a blessing. I just had to convince myself that I walked away still alive for a reason, and I should make the most of every day. But until you almost die, until you look death in the face, you can’t honestly say, ‘I cherish every day like it’s my last.’ I think people that have cheated death just do it in a different way,” Travis told Kerrang!

5. Liam Hemsworth

When Liam Hemsworth was growing up in Australia, he experienced a scary situation where he almost drowned while surfing.

“When I was a kid, one time I got my leg rope wrapped around my whole body like a ball, underwater. Couldn’t get up. I was in waist-deep water, but I almost drowned. You know, I’ve had a few times,” he told Men’s Health.

6. Rachel Bilson

At age 16, Rachel Bilson was in a terrifying car accident that left her in a coma.

“Everyone was lucky to have survived…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,” she told Mirror.

7. Tracy Morgan

In 2014, Tracy Morgan was in a horrific car accident after his Mercedes limousine bus was hit by a tractor trailer. The incident took the life of his friend James McNair and left him in a coma.

“You’re never going to be normal after you go through something like that. You don’t die for a few weeks and then come back to normal, trust me. Something’s going to be missing, something’s going to be gained—you just got to live your life after that,” Tracy told Complex.

8. Eminem

Eminem nearly died after accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs in 2007. He was hospitalized but less than a month later, he relapsed.

Thankfully, Eminem is now sober and has traded drugs for a healthier habit — exercise.

“When I got out of rehab, I needed to lose weight, but I also needed to figure out a way to function sober. Unless I was blitzed out of my mind, I had trouble sleeping. So I started running. It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect. It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise. One addiction for another but one that’s good for them,” Eminem told Men’s Health.

9. Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler had a near death experience while filming “Chasing Mavericks” in Northern California. While surfing, Gerard was pulled underwater and dragged across a reef filled with rocks. Thankfully, he was noticed by a safety patrolman and taken to a nearby hospital.

“This was maybe one of the few times that the reports were not exaggerated. It was a pretty close call…[The waves] just took me and I couldn’t get up. It was pretty hairy,” Gerard said on “The Graham Norton Show.”

10. Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer also had a scary accident while surfing! When she was in high school she pierced her leg with the surfboard’s fin.

“I skegged myself. My whole fin went into my leg, and I had to yank it out. I was by myself,” Amy told Vanity Fair.

She added, “I found like one guy with this other guy. I was like, ‘I need you to hold my leg.’ I was delegating. And he held my leg closed with his bare hands—just fat and blood coming out. I wish I knew who that guy was, because he saved my life, for sure.”

11. Isla Fisher

Isla Fisher almost drowned while filming a stunt inside a water tank for “Now You See Me”. Her release chain got stuck in her costume and she was trapped underwater for almost three minutes.

“I was actually drowning…Everyone thought I was acting fabulously…no one realized I was actually struggling,” Isla said on Chelsea Lately.

12. Emilia Clarke

In 2011, Emilia Clarke suffered a brain aneurysm, which can cause immediate death in a third of those who experience them. She underwent immediate surgery and later suffered another in 2013. After several terrifying procedures, Emilia is thankfully doing better today.

“I now have a hard time remembering those dark days in much detail. My mind has blocked them out. But I do remember being convinced that I wasn’t going to live,” she told The New Yorker.

13. George Clooney

While riding his motorcycle in Italy, George Clooney collided with a Mercedes vehicle, breaking its windshield.

“It split my helmet in half, it knocked me out of my shoes. I was hit hard. I was just waiting for the switch to turn off because I broke his windshield with my head, and I thought, ‘Okay, well, that’s my neck.’ If you get nine lives, I got all of them used up at once—so I can let go of motorcycle riding for a while,” George told THR.

14. Christie Brinkley

In 1994, Christie Brinkley was a passenger on a helicopter that crashed into a mountain in Colorado. Thankfully Christie and the other passengers survived.

“This happened 25 years ago today and not a day goes by that I have not counted my blessing for being alive. I know for a fact that tomorrow is not a guarantee and that each day is a gift and an opportunity to make sure that everybody we love knows it!” Christie wrote on her Instagram.