Chevy Chase suffered near-fatal heart failure during the COVID-19 pandemic and was placed in a medically induced coma for more than a week, it has been revealed.
Speaking in the forthcoming documentary, "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not," family members, friends, and Chevy Chase himself detail the 2021 medical emergency, which was not fully disclosed at the time but resulted in a prolonged hospitalization and lasting cognitive effects.
Chevy Chase previously confirmed he was hospitalized for a heart condition, but the extent of the danger to his life wasn't publicly revealed.
"I was in the hospital five weeks. A heart issue," he told Page Six at the time.
"So, for now, I'm around the house. Not going anywhere."
Chevy Chase's daughter, Caley Chase, said the family was prepared for the possibility that he would not survive.
She described the outcome as extraordinary, saying her father had "basically come back from the dead," according to Deadline.
In the documentary, Chevy Chase's wife, Jayni Chase, said his condition deteriorated rapidly after he couldn't explain what he was feeling physically.
"Something was wrong, and he couldn't explain to me what was wrong," she said.
"So we go to the ER. His heart stops."
"During those years he was drinking, he got cardiomyopathy — when the heart muscles get weaker, and they can't pump as much blood out with each beat," she added.
A close friend, Peter Aaron, said doctors made the decision to place Chevy Chase in a coma for an extended period to stabilize him. Aaron said the coma lasted "maybe eight days," adding, "That's pretty rough on the body."
Caley Chase said doctors warned the family that survival and recovery were uncertain.
"They warned us: 'We might not get him back. We don't know how present he'll be. Prepare yourselves for the worst,'" she recalled.
When Chevy Chase regained consciousness, his physical abilities were limited.
"He woke up, all he could do was use his voice," she said.
Chevy Chase ultimately recovered and was discharged, but he continues to experience memory problems that doctors attributed to the cardiac event and coma.
"According to the doctors, my memory would be shot from it," Chevy Chase said in the film. "That's what's happened here."
He later added, "I'm fine now. It's just that it affects your memory; the doctors have told me that."
"So I have to be reminded of things."
The memory gaps have influenced how Chevy Chase addresses past issues, including reports of difficult behavior on film and TV sets. In the documentary, he said he does not recall those incidents.
The film also addresses his feelings about his role in the 50th anniversary celebration of "Saturday Night Live."
Although he attended "SNL50: The Anniversary Special," he did not appear onstage with other original cast members.
"Well, it was kind of upsetting actually," he said.
"This is probably the first time I'm saying it. But I expected that I would've been on the stage too with all the other actors."
"When [co-stars] Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn't. No one asked me to," he added.
"Why was I left aside?"
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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