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These are the interviews that remind us what truly matters. Join us as we count down celebrities who sat down for interviews while courageously facing a terminal diagnosis, sharing their final thoughts, wisdom, and legacies with the world.
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00:00Tell me why you're sitting with me here today. I'm stage four, so my cancer came back, and that's why
00:08I'm here.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at interviews that celebrities gave whilst facing their own mortality after a terminal
00:15diagnosis.
00:16I need to get through this, I have lots to do. But of course it's scary. I mean, I'd be
00:21lying if I said it wasn't scary.
00:23Tammy Faye Mesner. Arguably better known as Tammy Faye Baker, this televangelist famously promoted progressive views after the downfall of
00:31her corrupt first husband, Jim.
00:33After Jim Baker was convicted of defrauding their ministry, Tammy Faye divorced him, remarried, and is now Tammy Faye Mesner,
00:40a grandmother of two boys, and as full of life and resilient as ever.
00:44She never lost her faith, though, even during a cancer battle that spanned 11 years. Mesner discussed this in multiple
00:50interviews on Larry King Live, including one on July 18, 2007.
00:54She passed away just two days later. She was shockingly emaciated and struggled for breath in her last appearance, but
01:01still eager to talk.
01:02Accompanied by her son, Jay Baker, Mesner reaffirmed her love for both God and the LGBTQ community that championed her
01:09activism.
01:09We lost everything. It was the gay people that came to my rescue, and I will always love them for
01:19that.
01:20It was an iconic moment of progressive piety and accepting a terrible fate with grace.
01:24Irfan Khan. The whole world was shocked by the passing of the revered actor Irfan Khan in 2020.
01:30He'd been battling cancer for two years, with his usual dignified resolve, managing to film a sequel to Hindi Medium.
01:49In truth, he wasn't able to do an in-person interview with Gulf News to promote the highly anticipated comedy.
01:55He instead communicated via email, but movingly communicated his artistic process and existential thoughts even in writing.
02:01He even expressed hope for a comeback that he knew would be short-lived.
02:04Khan died of an infection just one month after the release of Angresi Medium, but his international fanbase will forever
02:10adore his diverse body of work, Gord Downie.
02:13It was a cultural event in Canada when Gord Downie sat down with CBC's The National in 2016.
02:18A lot of people want to know how you're doing. How are you doing?
02:22I'm doing good. And I said that on purpose. You know, I'm doing good.
02:29Because I am. Everything sort of seems to make sense.
02:34I am learning how to do it because I've never done it before.
02:39The frontman of the tragically hip had glioblastoma, which impaired cognitive function so severely that he had to write famed
02:46interviewer Peter Manbridge's name on his hand to remember it.
02:49They had known each other for 25 years.
02:51Downie, nonetheless, spoke enthusiastically about his band's farewell tour, his debut solo album, and his activism.
02:57He also said that he had accepted every aspect of his mortality, except for how it would affect his children,
03:03whose names he sometimes struggled to recall.
03:05The National Treasure passed away a year after his final interview aired.
03:09This has been great. I'm thinking about, you know, it's just thinking about other things.
03:14And just really able to talk, you know, with you.
03:23Frank Zappa. Reclusive avant-garde rocker Frank Zappa could approach any topic with humor in his art and sophistication in
03:30conversation.
03:30That's certainly how he approached the topic of himself in interviews throughout 1993.
03:34The year he was to die from cancer.
03:36How much of it is for the sound and how much of it was for the humor?
03:41Both.
03:42You know, I think the goal here is entertainment.
03:46He notably smoked, composed, and discussed his health on NBC's The Today Show.
03:51When Jamie Gangle asked Zappa how he wants to be remembered, he said,
03:55It's not important.
03:56Such was the palpable tone in later print interviews, in which he more thoroughly reflected on his politics, philosophy, and
04:02music.
04:02The people who worry about being remembered are guys like Reagan, Bush.
04:06These people want to be remembered.
04:09And they'll spend a lot of money and do a lot of work to make sure that remembrance is just
04:14terrific.
04:16Zappa was never romantic about his mortality or the state of the world,
04:19but seemed content during those iconic appearances in the final months of his life.
04:23Michael Landon.
04:23The legendary TV actor Michael Landon succumbed to cancer just three months after he was diagnosed in 1991.
04:29There's a big headline in one of these, uh, incredible magazines about the fact that I want to have a
04:34tenth child
04:35so my wife will have something to remember me by.
04:38I mean, I got nine kids, nine dogs, three grandkids, one in the oven, three parrots,
04:45and my wife Cindy needs something to remember me by.
04:48He spent that time in the media to counter tabloid gossip
04:50and raise awareness about the health risks in smoking and drinking.
04:54Landon's final TV appearance would be on The Tonight Show, where his significant weight loss was visible.
04:59Still, he kept up his good humor and enthusiasm.
05:02You've got a show, a pilot that's going on, you made for this fall.
05:06That's right.
05:07Called us.
05:08Called us.
05:08I made it for CBS.
05:10Uh, I don't get better.
05:11It's their second mistake since buying baseball.
05:13By the time he sat down with Life Magazine for a feature article,
05:16he had accepted that he was likely to die, but restated his determination to survive.
05:21Landon's legacy as a screen icon would be matched only by his very public courage during his final days.
05:26Yul Brynner.
05:27Over a year after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer,
05:30Yul Brynner was still touring with The King and I.
05:32He appeared on Good Morning America in 1985 to discuss the show, his life,
05:37and the certainty that it was about to end.
05:38If there's anything you could change about what's happened in your life,
05:43what would you have changed?
05:45If I could take back that smoking, we wouldn't be talking about any cancer.
05:50The revered actor said that the only role he was interested in at that point
05:53was a posthumous campaign against the tobacco that contributed to his condition.
05:57Brynner looked at the camera and said,
05:59Now that I'm gone, I tell you, don't smoke.
06:02Per his wishes, the American Cancer Society isolated this soundbite for a commercial
06:07in the wake of Brynner's death later that year, Warren Zevin.
06:11October 30th, 2002 marked the last public appearance that the eccentric singer-songwriter Warren Zevin would make.
06:17To me, you look and seem remarkably healthy.
06:20I mean, that's kind of an odd...
06:22Well, don't be fooled.
06:24Don't be fooled by cosmetics.
06:27How do you feel?
06:30I don't feel as bad as they say I am.
06:33He had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and was given an opportunity to say his piece by his good
06:38friend David Letterman.
06:39The Late Show dedicated an entire episode to showcasing Zevin's wit, introspection, and live showmanship.
06:45It was arguably one of the most iconic moments in the history of talk shows, particularly for these words of
06:50wisdom.
06:51You know, you put more value on every minute.
06:53You do, Liv.
06:55I mean, I always thought I kind of did that.
06:56I really always enjoyed myself.
06:58Yeah.
06:59But it's more valuable now.
07:00You're reminded to enjoy every sandwich and every minute of playing with the guys and being with the kids and
07:08everything.
07:08This would be Zevin's epitaph, though he had another year to record the album The Wind and enjoy his sandwiches.
07:14Rock Hudson.
07:15In July of 1985, the Christian Broadcasting Network premiered the talk show, Doris Day's Best Friends, with screen legend Rock
07:22Hudson as the first guest.
07:23It's so good to see you.
07:25Oh, it's great to see you.
07:25I miss those laughs we used to have.
07:28Oh, me too.
07:29I do.
07:29We had so much fun.
07:31I haven't had a good laugh like that since.
07:32We really had fun making movies.
07:34Yeah.
07:35Didn't we?
07:35Yeah.
07:36I wish we'd made more.
07:37We should do it again.
07:38Yeah, we should.
07:40It was a wholesome chat which featured dogs, but it was hard to ignore that Hudson looked very ill, and
07:45the public weren't buying the behind-the-scenes story that he had a bad case of the flu.
07:48So, on July 25th, Hudson became the first major celebrity to publicly disclose that he was diagnosed with AIDS.
07:54He passed away just over two months later.
08:01After hiding so much throughout his distinguished career, Hudson publicly representing his condition galvanized activism to ensure that it didn't
08:09have to be a death sentence.
08:10Eric Dane.
08:11The Netflix interview show Famous Last Words releases its episodes only after their subject has died.
08:17Anthropologist Jane Gadal may have known that the end was near at age 91, but she would ultimately pass from
08:21natural causes.
08:23That was sadly not the case for actor Eric Dane, whose health declined rapidly in the year after his 2025
08:28diagnosis with ALS.
08:29It's a weird concept to kind of grapple with.
08:36You and I are talking here right now, and we're both very alive, and at the same time, when this
08:44exists, if it ever does, I won't be here.
08:51He could no longer walk and struggle to speak as he led a retrospective of his impressive career.
08:56No less impressive was his passion throughout the discussion, which he ended with a lengthy message of love and resilience
09:02to his daughters.
09:03Dane's Famous Last Words episode was released three months after it was filmed, the day after his death.
09:08The past contains regrets, the future remains unknown, so you have to live now.
09:17The present is all you have.
09:20Treasure it.
09:21Cherish every moment.
09:23Farrah Fawcett.
09:24It was bold for TV icon Farrah Fawcett to not only open up about her cancer returning in 2007,
09:29she commissioned an NBC documentary about her condition and treatment as they turned bleak two years later.
09:34What happened in your case is that the tumor cells changed, some of the tumor cells survived the treatment, and
09:41now we have several problems.
09:43During production, she granted the Los Angeles Times an interview that was later released to promote Farrah's story.
09:48This chat allowed her to go deeper into her views on the American healthcare system and experience with media intrusion.
09:54These subjects being undercut in the final version of Farrah's story famously led to a lawsuit around the time of
09:59Fawcett's death in 2009.
10:00As I reflect on past decisions, I wonder what lies ahead.
10:08I will not go gentle into that good night.
10:10But with her commitment to raising awareness of a most sensitive subject, she herself was a class act to the
10:15very end.
10:16Charlton Heston.
10:17Starring in classic films like Ben-Hur and Planet of the Apes, few actors dominated the screen like Charlton Heston.
10:23Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!
10:27Even as he started taking fewer lead roles, Heston remained in the public eye with high-profile cameos and is
10:33the president of the NRA.
10:35Heston permanently stepped away from the spotlight after announcing he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in August 2002.
10:41It is difficult to watch what age and Alzheimer's are doing to a man who's always appeared to be so
10:46strong.
10:47That December, Heston and his wife, Lydia Clark, welcomed journalist Peter Jennings into their home.
10:52Jennings could tell that the disease was already affecting the aging Heston, who struggled to remember things.
10:57Despite putting on a brave face, Heston suspected he would be afraid as his condition inevitably worsened.
11:02I don't mean for a second, Charlton, to impose my own emotions on you.
11:06But I think I'd really be afraid.
11:10I probably will be afraid, too, when it gets closer.
11:14But I don't feel those things.
11:17This would be Heston's final televised interview before his passing in April 2008.
11:21Alex Trebek.
11:22It was impossible to imagine Jeopardy! without Alex Trebek for over 35 years.
11:27Here is the host of Jeopardy! Alex Trebek!
11:32Thank you, Johnny Gilbert.
11:34Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
11:35And welcome, everyone.
11:36While the long-running game show could last forever, it became clear in 2019 that Trebek's phenomenal tenure would soon
11:42end.
11:43The TV legend was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
11:47Seeking treatment, Trebek remained committed to his Jeopardy! duties.
11:50I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease.
11:56Truth told, I have to.
11:58Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years.
12:04So help me.
12:05Keep the faith, and we'll win.
12:08All the while, Trebek opened up about his illness in several interviews.
12:12Trebek maintained an optimistic attitude, expressing an eagerness to return to the Jeopardy! set.
12:16At the same time, Trebek didn't sugarcoat his condition, saying that he wasn't afraid to die.
12:20One thing they're not going to say at my funeral, as a part of a eulogy, he was taken from
12:26us too soon.
12:27I'm 79 years old.
12:29So, hey, I've lived a good life, a full life, and I'm nearing the end of that life.
12:34I know that.
12:35I'm not going to delude myself.
12:37So, if it happens, it happens.
12:39Between interviews, Trebek balanced work and treatment for 20 months.
12:43Trebek shot his final Jeopardy! episode in October 2020, passing away several days later.
12:48John McCain.
12:49This Arizona senator overcame cancer in the past.
12:52Yet, nothing could prepare him for July 2017.
12:55After doctors discovered a blood clot over his left eye, McCain was rushed into surgery.
12:59This morning, a giant of the Senate is battling brain cancer.
13:04Senator John McCain is recovering at home in Arizona, after having surgery last Friday to remove a blood clot above
13:10his left eye.
13:11Further tests, his doctors say, revealed a tumor.
13:14Weeks after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, McCain returned to the Senate, where he helped preserve
13:20the Affordable Care Act.
13:22While McCain had a fighting spirit, treatment wouldn't buy him much more than another year or so.
13:26That September, McCain and wife, Cindy Hensley, sat down with Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes at their ranch.
13:32I was driving up here, and I got about two-thirds of the way up, and my doctor called and
13:38said,
13:38you gotta come back, and I said, hey, today is Friday, I'll just come in on Monday.
13:43And she said, no, you have to come now.
13:45It's very serious.
13:47In addition to discussing Donald Trump's presidency, McCain talked about his health and the legacy he hoped to leave behind.
13:5260 Minutes revisited the interview in August 2018, following the former Republican presidential nominee's death.
13:58I have feelings sometimes of fear of what happens, but as soon as I get that, I say, wait a
14:06minute, wait a minute, you've been around a long time, old man.
14:10You've had a great life, you've had a great experience.
14:13Steve Jobs.
14:14In January 2006, Steve Jobs shared a close-knit secret with Disney CEO Bob Iger.
14:19His cancer was back.
14:20While Jobs was committed to seeing his son graduate high school, he knew he'd be lucky to survive that long.
14:25While Jobs didn't regularly make public appearances, he was still the face of Apple.
14:28Over the following years, Jobs promoted the iPhone as the game-changer it was in presentations and interviews.
14:34We think what we've done is to reinvent the phone and completely change what your expectations are going to be
14:42for what you can carry in your pocket.
14:45In 2010, Jobs gave one of his final interviews at the D8 conference, comparing PCs to trucks and Apple products
14:51to cars.
14:52Although Jobs filled the room with charisma, speculations concerning his health continued to grow, and nonetheless came as a shock
14:58when Jobs announced his resignation in August 2011, only two months before dying.
15:02A giant in business, technology, and entertainment, Steve Jobs had been battling pancreatic cancer for eight years.
15:09Anthony Perkins.
15:10In September 1992, Anthony Perkins passed away due to age-related complications.
15:15The actor, best known for playing Norman Bates, had been privately seeking treatment over the past two years, only recently
15:20announcing his condition to the public.
15:22How would you define the Tony Perkins persona?
15:25Well, it changed in 1960 with Psycho.
15:29With Psycho, suddenly I'd abandoned being the young leading man and became the slightly quirky, slightly nervous, tick-ridden juvenile.
15:40A month after Perkins died, AMC aired what turned out to be his last interview with film professor Richard Brown.
15:46Perkins reflected on his work in films like Desire Under the Elms, Friendly Persuasion, and of course, Psycho.
15:51She just goes a little mad sometimes.
15:57We all go a little mad sometimes.
16:02Haven't you?
16:03The focus remained on Perkins' career and the craft of acting.
16:06As the interview concluded, though, Perkins mentioned how lucky he felt to still be alive and working.
16:11While Perkins appeared hopeful about the future, his illness soon took its toll.
16:14This retrospective interview thus served as a bittersweet farewell.
16:18The fact that I'm still working, still alive, and still productive means more to me than anything.
16:26Patrick Swayze, the star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost, was in the middle of filming the show, The Beast, upon
16:31learning that he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
16:34I need this envelope delivered to that exact address at 1400 Sharp. You got it?
16:39What is it?
16:41It's an envelope.
16:42Swayze finished his work on the season while undergoing treatment.
16:44He also found the strength to speak with Barbara Walters.
16:47With his wife, Lisa Nehemi, by his side, Swayze expressed gratitude to those who had sent letters of support.
16:53The outpouring of love has constantly astounded me.
16:57These letters and the kind of genuine love and support, without expecting anything in return, has personally restored my faith
17:04in what people are made of.
17:06Swayze was grateful that he had made it through 10 months of treatment, confident he could keep going.
17:10Even so, Swayze knew his time was limited.
17:12Best case scenario, Swayze thought he'd live another 5 years, although he felt 2 was more realistic.
17:17Unfortunately, it was even less.
17:19Swayze died in September 2009, 9 months after the interview aired.
17:23Last month, Patrick and his doctors decided to discontinue treatment.
17:28Anything that could be done had been tried.
17:31His last days were spent at home in his ranch, resting without pain.
17:35Chadwick Boseman
17:36Chadwick Boseman found out he had stage 3 colon cancer in 2016.
17:40Over the next 4 years, he turned Black Panther into a universal icon.
17:44My king.
17:45Stop it. Stop it.
17:49Beyond the MCU, Boseman appeared in several other projects, while privately enduring chemo and surgeries.
17:55Making Boseman's accomplishments all the more heroic, he never showed any signs of declining health in interviews.
18:00Watching Boseman laugh alongside late-night hosts, he seemed like an actor with a long career ahead.
18:05It feels like it's been going on for longer than that, but yeah, you're right.
18:08It's been a crazy ride.
18:10As his cancer advanced to stage 4, though, Boseman's life was cut tragically short.
18:14During a 2018 interview, Boseman tearfully mentioned two terminally ill children determined to live long enough to see Black Panther.
18:21And so it put me back in the mind of being a kid, just to experience those two little boys'
18:28anticipation of this movie.
18:30And when I found out that they...
18:32This interview is even more emotional, knowing Boseman's secret struggles and how his legacy continues to inspire.
18:38Olivia Newton-John
18:39After surviving two previous experiences with cancer, Olivia Newton-John faced another round in 2017.
18:45The Grease star appeared resilient as she addressed her cancer's return during interviews with 60 Minutes Australia and The Today
18:51Show.
18:52How is it, the second time around, different for you?
18:56Um, I think it's not as frightening.
19:00You know, I've had a wonderful life, and so I'm not as freaked out as I was when I had
19:05a young child.
19:06Discussing treatment, Newton-John seemed assured she could overcome cancer again.
19:10Throughout the next five years, Newton-John gave updates about her life and health in several interviews.
19:15While Newton-John always sounded upbeat, she revealed in a 2021 interview with Extra that her cancer hadn't gone away.
19:20I don't know that I'm cancer-free, but I am stable and feeling well, and, um, so I feel very
19:30fortunate.
19:30In February 2022, Newton-John spoke with Direct Talk, saying that her favorite expression was,
19:35This too will pass.
19:37It would sadly be a parting message, as Newton-John passed away that August.
19:40Yet, her contributions to breast cancer research are still making a difference.
19:44Life is never the same.
19:46We're moving and changing all the time.
19:48You just gotta go with the flow.
19:50If you can, don't resist, because it'll take you down.
19:52Karen Black.
19:53Many celebrities have given interviews knowing it might be their last,
19:56but few have taken an approach quite like Karen Black.
19:59Speak to me a little bit more about when you read those posts from anonymous people,
20:06touched by your music and your essence,
20:09what it did for you, how it made you feel.
20:16Hopeful.
20:17Hopeful.
20:18Hopeful.
20:18The Oscar-nominated actress received her ampullary cancer diagnosis in November 2010.
20:23Having part of her pancreas removed, Black lost a significant amount of weight and struggled to get out of bed.
20:28As her condition worsened, Black decided that she wanted to document the final stages of her life.
20:33There's nothing that blocks me from loving my fellow man, from feeling close to my fellow man, and knowing I've
20:45always known this.
20:46According to journalist Elliot Mintz, Black contacted him about a month before her passing in August 2013.
20:51At a request, Mintz interviewed Black from her hospital bed.
20:55The two talked about her life and career, as well as their friendship.
20:58Years later, Mintz reflected that nothing in his broadcast life had prepared him for that conversation.
21:03Are you afraid to die?
21:06Yes, I am.
21:07But, uh, not so much.
21:12Kind of on and off.
21:20Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Audio, Songs from Iran, reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock,
21:29metal, and pop songs.
21:30Check out the full track and album below.
21:34Come to me and save me from this redshift place.
21:39Come to me and hide me in your sacred space.
21:44Seal me with your grace.
21:46Shannon Daugherty.
21:47Shannon Daugherty had a history of medical issues, including a bout with stage 3 breast cancer in 2015.
21:52What was it, about a year and a half ago, you said that you were in remission.
21:55Yes.
21:56So how's everything going?
21:57Everything is going really well.
21:58I mean, you know, you hear the word remission.
22:00I know.
22:00So there's, it's a rush of different emotions, right?
22:03Mm-hmm.
22:04It's, it's like, what's next?
22:06There's a little bit of fear and apprehension.
22:08Although Daugherty entered remission in 2017, the cancer eventually returned and advanced to stage 4.
22:13After initially keeping her diagnosis private, Daugherty shared her harrowing experience in an ABC interview.
22:18This is a much more difficult one to deal with.
22:21I'm grappling.
22:23I haven't found my path and my peace.
22:28By 2023, the cancer spread to her brain and bones.
22:31The writing was on the wall, but Daugherty didn't give up on treatment.
22:34In another ABC interview, Daugherty provided an update on her condition and talked about her podcast, Let's Be Clear.
22:40Through this memoir of sorts, Daugherty shared insight into her career and cancer.
22:44She also found time to answer questions from fans.
22:46Daugherty continued to record the podcast regularly until her death in July 2024.
22:50The actress rose to fame for her roles on Beverly Hills 90210 and charmed, and was so open about her
22:57valiant fight with cancer for nearly a decade, she passed away at the age of 53.
23:01What are some other high-profile and memorable final interviews?
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