Eddie Vedder and other celebs who've had near death experiences

Flavor Flav narrowly escaped death after a massive boulder struck his car. The rapper was driving from Las Vegas to LA on December 14 when the rain caused a boulder to fall down a cliffside in La Tuna Canyon and smash the right side of his vehicle, temporarily causing him to lose control of the vehicle, TMZ reports. A rep said that if Flav had been just a few feet in another direction, the boulder would have surely killed him. Even though his car was totaled, he made it out safely. Of the miracle, a shaken up Flav said, "God is good," and that he "came very close to death but is super grateful to be alive."

Getty Images

2 / 37 Fotos

Bradley Cooper -

Bradley Cooper was riding the subway in New York City in October 2019 while listening to music on a pair of noise-canceling headphones when he was held at knifepoint. "I was on the subway [at] 11:45 to pick Lea downtown at Russian school and I got held up at knifepoint," he shared on the November 29 episode of the 'Armchair Expert' podcast. "It was pretty insane." He continued, "I was all the way at the end of the subway. I felt somebody coming up. I thought, 'Oh, they want to take a photo or something.' As I turned, I'm up against the post like it's the French Connection or some s—t, and I turned. I looked down and I see a knife." According to the actor, the knife was about "two-and-a-half, three inches," and that he still could only hear music the whole time, "So it's scored, the whole thing was scored." He recalled that the person was young, and that he just started running toward the exit, jumped over the turnstile, and took his phone out and tried to take some photos of the assailant who by then was running away. Cooper then flagged down police officers on the street, told them what happened, and simply got back on the subway to pick up his daughter. "It was crazy."

Getty Images

3 / 37 Fotos

George Clooney -

George Clooney suffered a near-fatal accident in 2018 when his motorcycle was hit by a car in Sardinia. He was on the Italian island filming 'Catch 22' and on his way to set when he was thrown from the bike and and flew over the handlebars. He recently opened up to The Times about that close brush with mortality, saying, "I was waiting for my switch to turn off." The actor also noted that while the ambulance was on its way and he was still on the ground in agony, a crowd started to form around him and people were filming him on their phones. "If you’re in the public eye, what you realize when you’re on the ground thinking it’s the last minute of your life is that, for some people, it’s just going to be entertainment for their Facebook page," he said. He added, "You want to take every one and shake them." Fortunately, Clooney is fine and still quite sprightly, and he told the UK outlet, "Turning 60 is a bummer. But it’s that or dead."

4 / 37 Fotos

Kathryn Prescott -

Actress Kathryn Prescott still has a long road to recovery before she can look back on her traumatic experience with clarity. The 'Finding Carter' star was hit by a cement truck in NYC on September 7 and sustained terrible injuries all over her body. Her twin sister Megan, with whom she co-starred in the show 'Skins,' shared details of the injuries on Instagram. Prescott broke her pelvis in two places, both of her legs, her foot, and her left hand. Prescott is believed to have months of rehabilitation ahead.

Getty Images

5 / 37 Fotos

Travis Barker -

Travis Barker opened up about being the last remaining survivor of a traumatic plane crash in 2008, calling it "my wake-up call." In an interview with Men's Health, the Blink-182 drummer spoke about his PTSD from the incident, in which he and his friend Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein were flying home from a show when their plane's tires blew during takeoff. The fiery crash killed assistant Chris Baker, security guard Charles Still, and the two pilots. Barker escaped with Goldstein but experienced third-degree burns over half of his body, and about a year later, Goldstein died of an accidental drug overdose.

Getty Images

6 / 37 Fotos

Travis Barker - Barker said the crash functioned kind of like rehab and got him to stop abusing drugs, though he says he still hasn't been on a plane since that fateful day and still experiences survivor's guilt. He said the experience "haunted me for a long time," though he added, "Now it's been so many years, it's getting easier for me. There are days where I'll wake up and never think about it."Barker told Men's Health, "It will never make sense why my friends are gone, or the pilots, but all I can do is carry on. I can't regret anything. I'm 100% supposed to be here."

7 / 37 Fotos

Ashley Judd -

In February 2021, Ashley Judd detailed her near-death experience in the Congolese jungle, after shattering her leg in a serious fall. In an Instagram post, she spoke of the locals who helped her through the grueling ordeal, without whom she said, "My internal bleeding would have likely killed me.” Her leg was broken in four places and had nerve damage, and a man named Dieumerci sat with her for five hours trying to keep her still. Then another local man named Papa Jean arrived, gave her a stick to bite on, and readjusted the shattered pieces of her leg right there on the jungle floor.

8 / 37 Fotos

Ashley Judd -

And still, after that, she was carried in a hammock for three hours through rugged terrain, then transported on motorbike for six hours, then soothed in the care of more locals, until over two days later she could get on an operating table in South Africa. “I wake up weeping in gratitude, deeply moved by each person who contributed something life giving and spirit salving during my grueling 55 hour odyssey,” she wrote.

Getty Images

9 / 37 Fotos

Rebel Wilson -

Rebel Wilson revealed she was kidnapped while on holiday in Mozambique. On the show 'Straight Talking,' she recounted traveling in a cattle truck with a group of women in a rural area when men armed with big guns stopped them and told them to leave their vehicle. Wilson explained she and the other women were taken “to a house in the middle of nowhere” and stayed there until the next morning. Fortunately they weren't harmed, and the next day the men gave them back their truck and let them go. "We didn’t ask any questions," Wilson said, adding that she believed they used the truck to smuggle illegal items.

10 / 37 Fotos

Simon Cowell -

Simon Cowell broke his back in a horrible bike crash on August 8, 2020. He had to go through a six-hour surgery, as he reportedly had a number of breaks and required a metal rod to be put in. He was trying out his new electric bike with his son and his girlfriend’s son when he fell flat on his back. He shared on Twitter: “Some good advice… If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time."

Getty Images

11 / 37 Fotos

Gary Busey -

Actor Gary Busey told The Guardian about his 1988 motorcycle crash where he flew off his bike without a helmet, suffered a major skull fracture, and reportedly passed away briefly after brain surgery. During that time he claims he visited the spiritual realm, where he was surrounded by angels and floating balls of light, and he was also "a quarter of an inch wide and one foot long. That is your soul, and your soul is housed in the column of your spine."

Getty Images

12 / 37 Fotos

Gary Busey - The actor also claims he received information from the angels about the path he was going on and his responsibility to mankind, adding that they gave him a choice to return to his body or not. On the experience of death, Busey said, "It is painless, free and lovely."

13 / 37 Fotos

Anne Hathaway -

The actress was on vacation in Hawaii and nearly drowned after being caught in a strong current. She was saved by a surfer who took her to the shore.

Getty Images

14 / 37 Fotos

Halle Berry -

The actress suffered many serious injuries while filming, including eye and head injuries while on the movie 'Catwoman'.

15 / 37 Fotos

Leonardo DiCaprio - The actor was almost eaten by a shark while diving in South Africa. He was inside a protective cage, but the shark managed to get half of its body through the bars and tried to bite him.

16 / 37 Fotos

Charlize Theron - The actress fractured her neck in a near-fatal fashion while performing a back flip on a motorcycle for the movie 'Aon Flux'. Filming was delayed for eight weeks to allow the actress to recover.

17 / 37 Fotos

Orlando Bloom - When he was 21, the actor fell three floors while trying to climb up a drainpipe. The fall left him paralyzed for four days, but he fully recovered.

18 / 37 Fotos

Martin Lawrence - The actor suffered severe sunstroke in 1999. He was wearing several layers of clothing while jogging in the sun. Lawrence was apparently trying to lose weight for a role. He was hospitalised and was in a coma for a short period of time.

19 / 37 Fotos

Jason Statham - The actor almost died while filming 'The Expendables 3.' The brakes of the truck he was driving stopped working and he landed in the sea. Luckily, the actor managed to free himself and swim to the surface.

20 / 37 Fotos

Joaquin Phoenix - The actor suffered a major car accident in 2006. His car brakes failed and he crashed into another vehicle. He suffered serious injuries from the accident but fortunately recovered.

21 / 37 Fotos

50 Cent - The musician was shot nine times at the door of his grandmother's house in Queens, New York.

22 / 37 Fotos

Michael J Fox - The actor almost died while filming 'Back to the Future III' when he misplaced his hands during a hanging scene. Everyone thought he was acting really well, until they realized that he wasn't acting at all.

23 / 37 Fotos

Johnny Depp -

The actor was flying in a small plane that belonged to his friend Bruce Robinson when the engine stopped. Fortunately, the engine started up again and they both landed safely.

Find out more about Johnny Depp's ever-changing looks.

24 / 37 Fotos

Ryan Reynolds - When he was 17, the actor's parachute failed to open during a skydiving class. Reynolds used the reserve parachute and managed to land safely.

25 / 37 Fotos

Bono - The singer managed to cheat death when the back door of his private plane detached mid-flight. The plane landed safely and nobody was hurt.

26 / 37 Fotos

Ellie Goulding - In 2016, the singer almost died in a lake in Norway. She had to escape out of the roof of her car in sub-zero temperatures when the ice broke underneath the vehicle she was traveling in.

27 / 37 Fotos

Ozzy Osbourne - In 2003, Ozzy suffered a serious all-terrain vehicle accident in which he broke several ribs, his clavicle, and injured his spine.

28 / 37 Fotos

Donald Sutherland - The actor contracted meningitis during filming of 'Kelly's Heroes' and almost died. He even reported seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when he was unconscious in hospital.

29 / 37 Fotos

Drew Barrymore - In 2001, the actress escaped a huge fire thanks to her dog, who began barking frantically when the fire started. Drew and her husband were asleep but fortunately woke up in time to escape.

30 / 37 Fotos

Eminem - The rapper once overdosed on methadone. According to MTV he acquired the pills from an acquaintance and didn't even know what they were.

31 / 37 Fotos

Isla Fisher - The actress almost died while filming 'Now You See Me.' She was recording a scene where she was trapped in a water tank when she got into real distress. It took three minutes for someone to realize she was struggling and pull the safety lever.

32 / 37 Fotos

Kanye West - The rapper suffered a serious car accident in 2002. West has described the moment in interviews as a turning point in his career.

33 / 37 Fotos

Linsey Godfrey - The actress was hit by a car in early 2016 and fractured both legs. She had to endure a long course of physiotherapy.

34 / 37 Fotos

Seth MacFarlane - The creator of 'Family Guy' was supposed to board one of the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11. However, Seth was hungover from a long party the day before and could not board the plane because he arrived 10 minutes late.

35 / 37 Fotos

Sharon Stone - The actress has revealed in interviews that she almost died twice. The first time was in 1990, when she suffered a car crash that left her with a dislocated jaw, a sprained back, broken rib, and a twisted knee. She was bedridden for six months. The second time was in 2001, when an aneurysm almost took her life.

36 / 37 Fotos

Rachel Bilson -

The actress suffered a serious car accident when she was only 14 years old and almost died. To this day she suffers from severe migraines prompted by the head injuries that she endured.

37 / 37 Fotos

Eddie Vedder and other celebs who've had near death experiences

The Pearl Jam frontman says he "saw my life flash in front of my eyes" while battling COVID-19

01/03/22 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Accidents

Money can buy many things, but it can't cheat death. There are, however, a select few people who have experienced the miracle of survival, and some have even gained great insight from it.

Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder recently revealed he contracted COVID-19 and had a "pretty serious" battle with the virus. Speaking during his Los Angeles show on February 25, he told the crowd, "I got the COVID right before we were supposed to start practicing, probably five, six weeks ago, and literally saw my life flash in front of my eyes," reports People magazine. "I wasn't quite sure…because I've done some very good things for my body, and I've also had a lot of fun. And I've done some things that could be … some kind of abuse, I mean, nothing really clinical. I won't get into the details. Just use your imagination!"

He continued, "But it was, it felt pretty serious. And to get through that and then be back in a room like this, facing this many people facing this way, and listening to us play music for you is really, truly, it's been a gift and an honor. Thanks for listening. We're so grateful." Vedder has long been a supporter of vaccines and performed at Global Citizen's Vax Live event in May 2021, which encouraged people to get the jabs and raised money to help vaccinate healthcare workers.

For other life-threatening celeb stories, click through.