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Behind the glitz and glamour, some stars fought private battles until the very end. Join us as we reveal the shocking health struggles that celebrities kept hidden from the public eye. From comedy legends to musical icons, these famous faces maintained their public personas while privately fighting devastating illnesses. Which revelation surprised you most?
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00:00Bozeman inspiring millions with his roles, making seven movies while quietly undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy treatments.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at stars who faced serious illnesses in secret,
00:12keeping their battles hidden from the public until their deaths.
00:15But chose to keep it private, preferring his fans to remember him in his prime.
00:21Norm MacDonald.
00:22I don't know if you remember this, but I used to actually be on this show.
00:26You know, I used to do the weekend update news routine, you remember that?
00:31Comedian and Saturday Night Live alum Norm MacDonald had a gift for masking the uncomfortable with humor, even when it came to his own health.
00:38When the Dirty Work actor passed away in 2021, fans were stunned to learn that he'd quietly been battling multiple myeloma for nearly a decade.
00:45The Saturday Night Live veteran's death on Tuesday follows a nine-year battle with cancer, a struggle that he had decided to keep private.
00:52Many close friends and collaborators revealed that even they had no idea, as Norm deliberately kept the diagnosis private to avoid changing how people treated him.
01:01Lieutenant, you got company.
01:03Reports later clarified that his original diagnosis led to treatment-associated myelodysplastic syndrome, which progressed to acute leukemia.
01:10Through years of appearances, writing, and shows, he always kept his trademark wit sharp, giving no sign of the struggle he was enduring.
01:16You go, sounds like chronic fatigue syndrome to me. I said, really, what's that? He says, well, chronic means always, and fatigue means tired, and syndrome, that means something you got.
01:32Hulk Hogan.
01:33When it was revealed that pro-wrestling icon Hulk Hogan had privately battled chronic lymphocytic leukemia, CLL, a slow-developing blood cancer that targets white blood cells, fans were stunned.
01:43After his passing at age 71, medical records showed that while his official cause of death was a heart attack, he also had a documented history of CLL and atrial fibrillation.
01:53The diagnosis was not disclosed publicly.
01:55E.T. obtained the medical doc, which also revealed Hulk had a history of leukemia along with atrial fibrillation, a heart condition which causes an irregular heartbeat.
02:03Because CLL can progress quietly for years, Hogan continued appearing in the spotlight without anyone suspecting an illness of this sort.
02:11The posthumous revelation added a more human dimension to the wrestling legend's image, showing that the Hulkster had quietly faced a formidable opponent outside the ring.
02:19Hulkamania will live forever, man!
02:22Kelly Preston.
02:23You never did want me to go, did you?
02:26There never was anyone else, was there?
02:28Celebrated actress Kelly Preston, known for roles in films like What a Girl Wants and Jerry Maguire, lived with breast cancer for two years before her death in 2020, a diagnosis she chose to keep secret from the public.
02:39Fellow actors who worked closely with her on film sets said they had no idea she was ill.
02:43Supported by her husband, John Travolta, and their children, Preston underwent quiet treatments while continuing to act and spend time with family.
02:50You and me, we'll get through this together. We'll get through anything.
02:54When she passed at just 57, the announcement shocked Hollywood, which had seen her appearing vibrant and full of life until the end.
03:01Choosing to keep her illness private, Preston had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, Travolta thanking the doctors and nurses, friends and loved ones who have been by her side.
03:11Steve Jobs.
03:12You see him there. The reason Apple was so exceptional and those products were so exceptional and so loved was that he would show up in that black turtleneck and make the presentation.
03:21And it became an event with groupies and people around the world waiting for every event.
03:27Of course, just yesterday we had the 4S.
03:30Steve Jobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple, was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2003.
03:36And for years, he largely kept his health struggles private, revealing only minimal details.
03:40While he did announce his surgery in 2004, he avoided disclosing the full extent of his condition or the ongoing impact it had on his life.
03:47In 2009, when he took a medical leave of absence, speculation grew, but Jobs attributed changes in his appearance to a hormone imbalance rather than revealing the truth.
03:56We are able to report, unfortunately, that Apple is confirming that Steve Jobs has passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
04:04It wasn't until after his death in 2011 that the full scope of his illness and its progression became widely understood, highlighting his choice to face his disease privately.
04:13You remember, for about a year or so, Aaron, he actually did not undergo any traditional therapy.
04:18He chose to treat this with herbal remedies and things like that.
04:21But then in 2004, started getting therapy in earnest at that point, subsequently getting a liver transplant.
04:27Gene Wilder.
04:28For generations, Gene Wilder brought joy to the masses through timeless roles in films like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles.
04:44However, later in life, Wilder hid a heartbreaking secret.
04:48It turned out the adder had been living with Alzheimer's disease in his final years, a fact kept private until after his death in 2016.
04:54His family later explained that he kept the diagnosis private because he didn't want to sadden his young fans or tarnish their memories of his joyful performances.
05:02Today, we learned his own health has been failing for years.
05:05For the past three years, he struggled with Alzheimer's, but chose to keep it private, preferring his fans to remember him in his prime.
05:13In his final years, he quietly withdrew from public life, choosing to spend time with loved ones as his mind faded.
05:18Freddie Mercury.
05:19Stop me now.
05:21I'm having such a good time.
05:23Few performers embodied charisma quite like Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury.
05:27However, for much of the late 1980s, the rock singer's increasingly frail appearance fueled speculation about his health, something he consistently refused to comment on.
05:35The truth was that in 1987, Mercury had been diagnosed with AIDS and was battling the deadly virus in silence.
05:42He'd known for two years that he had AIDS, but had kept it quiet, living the life of a recluse in his five million pound mansion in West London, where fans have been paying their tributes.
05:52It wasn't until November 23rd, 1991, just one day before his death, that he finally confirmed the truth in a public statement.
05:58His decision to maintain privacy up until then was both an act of self-protection and defiance during a time when stigma around HIV was rampant.
06:06He'd given himself a limit, and I think, personally, that when he couldn't record anymore, or have the energy to do that anymore, then it would be the end.
06:24Robin Williams.
06:24Williams described himself as a man looking over a cliff.
06:29Robin Williams' passing in 2014 left fans reeling and searching for answers.
06:33While the world knew him as a whirlwind of humor and heart, few realized he was battling a devastating neurological condition.
06:40It's not just a fear of falling, or, you know, it's the thing of, you can do this.
06:45You can jump.
06:47You know, you can fly.
06:48An autopsy later revealed that Williams had diffused Lewy body disease, a progressive disorder that causes severe anxiety, hallucinations, and cognitive decline.
06:57During his final months, he'd been misdiagnosed with Parkinson's disease, unaware of the truth behind his confusion and fear.
07:03Lewy body dementia is very similar to Parkinson's, so you can have some of the same problems with your movements and some of the same problems with your thinking.
07:10I mean, there's some overlap with Alzheimer's.
07:12Though he and his family never spoke publicly about his worsening symptoms, the posthumous discovery brought heartbreaking clarity, explaining the torment behind one of comedy's brightest minds.
07:21You know, he really was nice to all the neighbors, really appreciated his kindness.
07:26I loved his sense of humor, I loved his, the spontaneity of his life.
07:33Alan Rickman.
07:34Has it ever crossed your brilliant mind that I don't want to do this anymore?
07:38Alan Rickman, celebrated for his roles in such films as Harry Potter and Die Hard, passed away in 2016 at age 69.
07:46Only after his death, however, did fans learn that he had been battling pancreatic cancer.
07:50Rickman reportedly received the diagnosis in 2015, but told very few people.
07:54He even continued to work on several projects, including voicing Absalom the Caterpillar in the live-action Alice in Wonderland films.
08:00Rickman's quiet endurance reflected his reserved and dignified nature, both on and off screen.
08:05When the news finally broke, colleagues not only remembered his warmth, professionalism, but acknowledged his decision to face illness privately, rather than invite public pity.
08:14Which is to give people a good time, to, you know, go to the movies and have a night off from life, really, is what that is.
08:22David Bowie.
08:23For music legend David Bowie, his final act may have been his most hauntingly artistic.
08:34You see, the renowned singer-songwriter secretly battled liver cancer for 18 months, before his death in January 2016.
08:40Yeah, good morning, Mary and Chris.
08:42Certainly, David Bowie's passing is shocking the music world this morning.
08:46We're outside the off-Broadway theater where Lazarus, which Bowie co-wrote, is showing this week.
08:53Certainly, David Bowie's music catalog spans many decades and will be remembered for generations to come.
08:59And during that time, he recorded and released an album, Black Star.
09:03In fact, it dropped just two days before he passed.
09:05Something happened on the day he died.
09:10Spirit rose a meter and stepped aside.
09:14Naturally, fans were stunned.
09:16What they thought was another experimental project turned out to be a carefully constructed farewell.
09:20Only a small circle of collaborators knew the truth, and Bowie's refusal to disclose his illness allowed him to control the narrative of his art until the very end.
09:28I can't say that life's pains or more tragic episodes have been diminished because of it.
09:35But it has allowed me so many moments of companionship when I have been lonely,
09:42and a sublime means of communication when I have wanted to touch people.
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10:02Chadwick Boseman
10:05We begin tonight with the sudden and very tragic death sending shockwaves across the country.
10:10Chadwick Boseman's passing in 2020 was one of the most shocking celebrity deaths in recent memory.
10:15This is because, unknown to his legion of fans, the Black Panther star have been privately fighting colon cancer since 2016.
10:21I learned from my enemies. Beat them at their own game.
10:24You have become them. You will destroy the world, Wakanda included.
10:28Despite multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy, he continued filming physically demanding roles.
10:33Boseman never spoke publicly about his illness in interviews, keeping it a secret from the media and even some of his co-stars.
10:39We've been dying for this country from the very get. Hoping one day they give us our rightful place.
10:44After his death, his family revealed that he had faced the disease with extraordinary strength and grace, never wanting the world to see him as anything less than a hero.
10:59Which of these celebrities' passing hit you the hardest? Share your tributes in the comments below.
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