Jeff Bridges says he almost died after getting COVID while on chemo

Jeff Bridges is probably one of our most beloved actors working today and fans everywhere were devastated when he announced his lymphoma diagnosis back in October 2020. Bridges’ cancer is now in remission and he’s set to return to what he does best on the FX crime series, The Old Man, but the actor admits that he nearly died when he contracted COVID-19 while on chemo.

While speaking with People Magazine, Bridges said he was “pretty close to dying” after contracting COVID while on chemotherapy for cancer. The actor had a 12-by-9-inch tumor in his body and he says “it was like a child in my body. It didn’t hurt or anything.” To fight the lymphoma, he immediately started chemo by infusion and later oral chemotherapy, which proved to be successful. As he was making strides, Bridges’ health was dealt another blow in January 2021 when he contracted COVID-19. The chemo had severely weakened his immune system which meant he had no way to defend his body against the coronavirus.

“I had no defenses. That’s what chemo does, it strips you of all your immune system. I had nothing to fight it. COVID made my cancer look like nothing.”

Things got so bad at one point that Bridges actually spent five months in the hospital because of his COVID battle mixed with trying to fight his cancer. He was so weak during this period that he couldn’t roll over in bed without help from a nurse and an oxygen tank. The actor admits that he nearly gave up on life:

“I was pretty close to dying. The doctors kept telling me, ‘Jeff, you’ve got to fight. You’re not fighting.’ I was in surrender mode. I was ready to go. I was dancing with my mortality.”

This story does have a happy ending. Jeff Bridges beat COVID and his cancer is now in remission. He survived because he found the strength to do so. The fact that just last year he was fighting for his life and now he’s set to dazzle audiences as Dan Chase in FX’s The Old Man, is a spectacular feat of the actor’s tenacity. Very happy that “The Dude” is still with us and continuing to thrive.

You can catch Jeff Bridges on The Old Man series premieres on FX on June 16, 2022.