Celebrities Who've Recovered From A Coma
Comas are serious medical conditions that can occur naturally from a variety of events, or they can be medically induced. Either way, a coma is no laughing matter, and they happen often enough that most people probably know someone who's been in a coma or has seen one depicted in the media. They're readily available plot points in soap operas, and every so often, a coma becomes a newsworthy event about someone people are either trying to keep on or take off of life support.
One thing few people consider when it comes to a coma is that it might happen to someone famous. Celebrities always seem larger than life, but they're people like everyone else. It could be argued that some celebs are more likely to find their way into a coma, seeing as their work can be dangerous. This is undoubtedly true of athletes, stunt performers, daredevils, and actors who enjoy doing their own stunts. One slip and a knock to the head might put a celebrity into a coma in a hospital bed.
Over the years, many celebrities have been comatose at one time or another, and each case is different. Some are in a coma for only a few hours, while others are left comatose for days, weeks, months, or even years. The celebrities here have all spent time in a deep state of unconsciousness for various reasons, and there's one thing they all have in common: they woke up.
The following article includes stories of substance abuse, mental health, and suicide.
Burt Reynolds was in a coma for eight to nine hours
In 1984, legendary actor Burt Reynolds was hard at work filming "City Heat" when he was injured. Reynolds revealed to TV Guide that he broke his jaw and shattered his temporomandibular joint, resulting in pain he described as worse than a migraine (via People). Reynolds was prescribed the sleeping medication Halcion, and he continued taking it for four years after becoming addicted. At one point, he took five to six pills at a time, amounting to around 50 per day.
Reynolds attempted to overcome his addiction, but he didn't go about it safely. Instead of weening himself off with the help of medical professionals, he quit Halcion cold turkey. This caused his body to lapse into a coma for eight to nine hours in a Los Angeles, California hospital. Reynolds described having an out-of-body experience at the time, and he heard the doctors tell his then-wife, Loni Anderson, that she needed to say her final goodbyes.
"I was taking 50 pills a day. Fifty! Doctors told me if I had taken one more, I would have died. It was that simple," he said. Reynolds decided to avoid rehab and go cold turkey due to his fear of being labeled a drug addict. The near-death experience changed his outlook, and he never took the drug again. Reynolds did check himself into rehab decades later after back surgery reintroduced his addiction. Reynolds recovered and lived to the age of 82 — he died on September 6, 2018.
Kurt Cobain was in a coma for nearly a day
On March 2, 1994, while in Rome, Italy, the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, spent the evening with his wife, Courtney Love. The two had been apart for over a month, and Cobain was depressed, which was something he'd dealt with for some time. Love told Rolling Stone he called her, saying, "he hated everything, everybody. Hated, hated, hated. He called me from Spain, crying." The couple came together in Rome and enjoyed room service and a bottle of champagne throughout the evening.
When Love awoke the following day, she found her husband lying on the floor, completely unresponsive. At some point during the night, he'd ingested as many as 50 doses of Rohypnol. The overdose left Cobain comatose and bound for the hospital. Doctors quickly pumped his stomach, and he ultimately recovered. It's unclear how long Cobain was comatose, but it was the better part of a day, as he'd been in that state since at least 5:30 in the morning on March 3.
Cobain regained consciousness later in the afternoon, but his mental health never fully recovered. Many believed Cobain's overdose was a suicide attempt. While that's up for debate by his fans and those who knew him best, in the end, Cobain did die by suicide the following month. On April 5, 1994, Cobain was found dead in his home, sadly adding another name to the unfortunate members of the 27 Club.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Seth Binzer was in a coma for two days
Seth Binzer, who is best known as Shifty Shellshock, has a well-documented history of substance abuse. The former Crazy Town frontman was one of the participants of "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew," having appeared in 13 episodes of the VH1 series. He followed those bouts with rehab with 16 episode appearances on "Sober House," so he spent much of the aughts in and out of recovery for substance abuse. Unfortunately, his struggles with addiction continued, and in 2012, they finally caught up with him.
On March 29, 2012, Binzer lost consciousness and was admitted to the hospital. According to TMZ, his hospitalization was believed to be the result of drug use. While it's unclear what put him in a coma, as it hasn't been confirmed publicly, he likely overdosed. At the time, Binzer was scheduled for a pre-trial hearing following a February 2012 arrest for cocaine possession and assaulting his ex-girlfriend, which made him incredibly anxious about the possibility of going to prison.
Binzer was admitted comatose and was placed on a ventilator, which he remained on for nearly two days before regaining consciousness. When he finally did regain consciousness, Binzer set his life on a new path. He began working with a drug and alcohol treatment center and was spared jail time when he finally stood before a judge. Binzer was given three years of probation and was able to pursue his sobriety free from incarceration (via Inquisitr).
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Lamar Odom was in a coma for three days
On October 13, 2015, Lamar Odom was found unconscious at the Love Ranch in Crystal, Nevada. The former NBA forward had been staying at the brothel since October 10 and was found by two women when they went to check on him. He was quickly taken to the hospital, where he was stabilized and intubated, as he couldn't breathe on his own. While it wasn't apparent immediately, it was later revealed that Odom overdosed, which is how he wound up in a coma.
Odom was unconscious when he was admitted, and his medical troubles grew exponentially while he lay in his hospital bed. Odom had six heart attacks and twelve strokes while comatose, leading doctors to fear he might lose motor function and speech skills if he recovered. Odom's coma lasted for three days, and according to his ex-wife, Khloe Kardashian," doctors discovered "every drug imaginable" in his system. Kardashian remained at her ex-husband's side through his medical crisis.
Given the severity of his condition, Odom's recovery is incredible. He told Kevin Hart on his YouTube show "Cold As Balls" that "All my doctors that see me say I'm a walking miracle." When he first came out of his coma, he couldn't walk or talk and never thought he'd play basketball again. Fortunately, he recovered and went on to work in the cannabis industry via Rich Soil Organics, as it helped him during his rehabilitation. Additionally, Odom now owns and operates several Odom Wellness Treatment Centers in California.
Martin Lawrence was in a coma for three days
In August 1999, Martin Lawrence struggled with something many people can relate to: he was trying to lose weight. Specifically, the actor was looking to drop some weight for an upcoming role, so he committed to doing so. Unfortunately, Lawrence didn't go about it safely or healthily, and while he was exercising, he was doing so in a manner nobody ever should. Smith had just finished running through the streets of California when he returned home and collapsed, slipping into a three-day coma.
In an effort to drop as much water weight as possible, Lawrence added several layers of clothing, hoping to sweat it out. While he surely sweated out a lot of water, he also increased his body temperature to a dangerous 107 degrees. This resulted in severe heat exhaustion, which caused Lawrence to become comatose. It didn't help that the temperature in Conejo Valley, California, reached upwards of 100 degrees during his hour-long run, making heat exhaustion with multiple layers of clothing a near certainty.
When Lawrence arrived at the hospital, he was in critical and unstable condition, requiring cold water, ice, and fans to cool down his core temperature. Fortunately, Lawrence recovered after spending three days in a coma and on a ventilator. A significant concern of heat exhaustion is kidney damage, and Lawrence experienced this early in his medical crisis. This, too, passed, and all of his organs suffered no permanent damage from what can only be described as a near-death experience.
Jayceon Taylor was in a coma for three days
Jayceon Taylor, best known as The Game to his fans, lived a dangerous life before hitting it big. Long before he was receiving Grammy Award nominations and releasing hit albums, Taylor was a gang member and drug dealer. He never left home without at least one handgun and often kept more on his body at any given time — even while playing basketball. "Back then, I didn't care if I lived or died, and that was normal to me. I never expected nor cared to live past 25 years old."
Taylor's words nearly became a self-fulfilling prophecy because, in 2001, he was shot five times and almost died. Taylor was in his apartment on October 1, 2001, when several people arrived and shot him. He was able to get to a phone and call for an ambulance, but he didn't remain conscious for long. The injuries Taylor sustained were severe, and he slipped into a coma that lasted for three days.
Fortunately, Taylor recovered and decided to change his life. He asked his brother to buy him classic albums by some of his favorite hip-hop artists, and he began writing his own rhymes. He used the money he earned from selling drugs to lay down some tracks in a studio, and in 2005, he launched his debut album, "The Documentary," with the help of his mentor Dr. Dre. Since then, Taylor has gone multi-platinum, earned numerous accolades, and has completely turned his life around.
Stevie Wonder was in a coma for four days
On August 6, 1973, Stevie Wonder was making his way around the U.S. to promote his latest album, "Inntervisions." Wonder was in a car driven by his cousin, John Wesley Harris, on his way to a radio station in Durham, North Carolina. While Wonder was sleeping in the front passenger seat, the car slammed into the back of a flatbed truck outside Salisbury, North Carolina. The accident shattered the car's windshield, and a log or piece of wood may have slammed into Wonder's head, as he was bleeding profusely from several injuries.
Wonder's entourage immediately stopped and rendered aid, rushing the singer to a local hospital. He was then transferred to another facility in Winston-Salem and remained in a coma for the next four days. While visiting, Ira Tucker Jr. sang "Higher Ground" to Wonder, who began moving his fingers in time with the song. Before long, he emerged from the coma and was responsive but he wasn't released from the hospital for another two weeks.
In addition to his more apparent injuries, Wonder lost his sense of smell and experienced recurring headaches, though these symptoms eventually abated. Wonder was out of commission for a long time following the accident. His scheduled spring tour had to be postponed, and it was several months before he was able to perform. His next performance came in January 1974 at the Rainbow Theater in London, England. Wonder's forehead was permanently scarred from the accident.
Jerry Garcia was in a coma for five days
In July 1986, the Grateful Dead was at the height of the band's popularity, but it nearly lost its lead singer Jerry Garcia to an infected tooth. According to the Associated Press, Garcia slipped "into a diabetic coma resulting from an infection caused by an abscessed tooth" (via Los Angeles Times). The infection was severe enough to take Garcia out for five days as he lay comatose in a hospital about 20 miles north of San Francisco, California.
Fortunately, Garcia did recover, but not quickly. Garcia later spoke about his time in a coma, explaining that he had some bizarre experiences. "My main experience was one of furious activity and tremendous struggle in a sort of futuristic, space-ship vehicle with insectoid presences. After I came out of my coma, I had this image of myself as these little hunks of protoplasm that were stuck together kind of like stamps with perforations between them that you could snap off."
Garcia awoke from the coma after five days, but it took a toll, and when he awoke, he could no longer play the guitar and had to relearn the skill. Seeing as Garcia was an excellent guitarist and the band's frontman, it took some time before he felt he was ready to perform at the same level as he did before the coma. He began by playing low-key shows in small venues, and on December 15, he rejoined his band for a three-night concert at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum.
Marianne Faithfull was in a coma for six days
Marianne Faithfull has had more than a few near-death experiences throughout her life, but the one that nearly ended it all came in the summer of 1969. Faithfull was in Sydney, Australia, with her then-boyfriend, Mick Jagger, when she overdosed on sleeping pills. The overdose occurred on July 9, 1969, and Faithfull was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital, where she remained for several weeks. Faithfull wasn't comatose during her entire stay, though she was in a coma for six days.
"I was unconscious for six days and nearly died, so that could have easily been me. Mind you, I was 22" (via Independent). Faithfull wrote about her coma in her 1994 autobiography, "Faithfull." In the book, she described her experience, detailing how she had a conversation with Jagger's recently deceased bandmate Brian Jones as she slipped into unconsciousness. At the end of their talk, Jones asked Faithfull to join him in the afterlife — she declined and awoke six days later (via The Irish Times).
Faithfull recovered from her overdose, but it wouldn't be her last brush with death. The singer became addicted to heroin in the early 1970s, which she described in her autobiography: "At that point, I entered one of the outer levels of Hell." It took her a decade to kick the drug, but she succeeded. Faithfull also survived hepatitis C, breast cancer, and COVID-19, setting her on the unfortunate path of Long COVID. She told The Irish Times, "You don't want to get this, darling. Really."
Ozzy Osbourne was in a coma for eight days
Ozzy Osbourne, otherwise known as the Prince of Darkness, has had his fair share of close calls due to what bandmate Tony Iommi described as "the most unhealthy lifestyle of all of us." Still, it wasn't Osbourne's penchant for cocaine in the 1970s or his excessive drinking that nearly killed him; it was an ATV. On December 8, 2004, Osbourne was riding around on an all-terrain vehicle when he got into an accident on his English country estate. Osbourne's bodyguard, Sam Ruston, rushed his boss to the hospital, where he began his road to recovery.
Osbourne was comatose for eight days as his body healed from a broken collarbone, eight fractured ribs, and one fractured vertebra. Osbourne later told the Sunday Mirror, "If it wasn't for Sam, I probably wouldn't be here. He had to bring me back to life twice" (via Daily Mail). He later said, "I'll never go near one of those damn bikes again. I am lucky to be here today and not paralyzed. The doctors tell me every day it could have been a lot worse. I could be dead."
The accident resulted in various metal rods and pins being placed in Osbourne's body, and while he recovered from the coma, a later fall dislodged his hardware. Sharon Osbourne explained on "The Talk" how her husband fell in the middle of the night. The resulting injuries forced Osbourne to cancel all of his events in 2019, but he eventually recovered (via NME).
Sharon Stone was in a coma for nine days
Throughout much of the 1990s, Sharon Stone was a major movie star, having appeared in "Casino," "Basic Instinct," and "Total Recall," to name a few. That all changed following a massive stroke Stone had in 2001. Stone revealed in her opening remarks at the "Raising Our Voices" luncheon hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, "I had a stroke in 2001. I had a one percent chance of survival. I had a nine-day brain bleed" (via Fox News). Stone remained in a coma for nine days.
One of the factors that could have resulted in Stone's passing was that she didn't go to the hospital until the third or fourth day of her stroke. She required surgery to address the brain bleed, but it would take a month before doctors could estimate whether or not she might survive, as her chances of doing so were about one percent. Stone later explained that she spent the next seven years recovering from her stroke while fighting for custody of her son.
Stone was effectively dropped as a Hollywood "it girl" during this time, and she struggled to find work. "I was grateful to Bernard Arnault, who rescued me by giving me a Dior contract. But I had to remortgage my house. I lost everything I had. I lost my place in the business. I was like, the hottest movie star, you know?" (via USA Today). While Stone found little work in Hollywood, she spent 20 years working for the World Health Organization.
Shayne Lamas was in a coma for nearly two weeks
Shayne Lamas had a terrible medical crisis resulting from a pregnancy complication in February 2010. She and her husband, Nik Richie, were expecting their second child, with the pregnancy being at about 16 weeks. After Lamas collapsed, paramedics were called to the couple's Orange County, California home. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed internal bleeding around her uterus but couldn't determine the cause. A Specialist was called in to assist, and Lamas lost the baby, whom they posthumously named Rex Jagger, but that wasn't the end of it.
Lamas' condition was dire, which her husband explained to TMZ, saying, "Shayne had a life-saving emergency surgery. She is on a ventilator system and is in a sedation-induced coma. Her vital signs are now currently stable." Lamas remained in a medically-induced coma for nearly two weeks, as she wasn't able to breathe on her own. The medical crisis resulted from a miscarriage, which somehow caused her heart to stop beating on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2010.
Richie wrote a letter to his unborn son: "You saved your mother's life with your passing, and I will never forget how much this means to me, R.J. In family, we sacrifice for each other. I need you to know that I held you, spoke to you, kissed you and that you'll be remembered." Lamas recovered and the couple had another baby the following year. The couple's second child, Lyon Lamas-Richie, was born via surrogate on July 4, 2011.
Michelle Hurst was in a coma for 16 days
Michelle Hurst, who is probably best known for playing Miss Claudette on "Orange is the New Black," was in a car accident in late December 2013, just before the holidays. While information about the accident hasn't been made public, it must have been severe. Doctors had to place Hurst into a medically-induced coma for 16 days to treat her various injuries. The actor required several surgeries to repair the damage caused by the accident and didn't regain consciousness for more than two weeks.
According to TMZ, at least one of the surgeries Hurst needed was close to her spine. Hurst was treated at UNC Chapel Hill Hospital in North Carolina, where she also did her recovery and rehabilitation. News of the accident, the coma, and Hurst's recovery didn't hit the trades until mid-January, which is one of the reasons few details of the incident have emerged. When the accident was made public, the cast and crew of "Orange is the New Black" came together in support of their co-star.
The team put together a fundraising campaign on YouCaring with the goal of raising $20,000 to cover medical expenses. Ultimately, the campaign raised just shy of $18,000, which was sent to Hurst's sister. It's unclear how long Hurst was out of commission from her accident and subsequent surgeries. Still, she was back at work, appearing in an episode of "Broad City" that aired in March of 2014, followed by an appearance on "Last Tango in Halifax" the following year.
Evel Knievel was in a coma for 29 days
If there's one person mentioned here who shouldn't surprise anyone for having a coma, it's Evel Knievel. The legendary stuntman and daredevil spent his professional life making the most insane motorcycle jumps, and they didn't always go according to plan. Knievel would injure himself every so often, but he always put his helmet back on, got back on his bike, and continued entertaining the masses via his death-defying stunts. That said, one stunt nearly ended his career and life on November 17, 1967.
Knievel wanted to jump the fountains at Caesar's Palace since the moment he saw them, so he set everything up to do so. After performing his pre-show jumps to warm up the crowd, Knievel lined himself up for the main attraction and hit the ramp as his motorcycle began decelerating. This caused him to come up short, resulting in Knievel being thrown over his handlebars as he slammed into a parking lot, and he was anything but okay.
Knievel crushed his pelvis and femur; the daredevil also fractured his skull and several bones and became concussed. Knievel was also rendered comatose for 29 days, which his family refuted in the Johnny Knoxville 2015 documentary "Being Evel." Despite this, news of Knievel's coma has remained the official story in various reports, including Time Magazine, Knievel's obituary, and many others. It's possible Knievel exaggerated his injuries for publicity, but one thing that's certain is that he remained in the hospital until February 12, 1968.
Gary Busey was in a coma for 33 days
Gary Busey's career saw a meteoric rise in popularity through the late 1970s, thanks to an Academy Award nomination for best actor for his work in "The Buddy Holly Story." He went on to appear in numerous high-profile films well into the 1980s, including roles in "Lethal Weapon," "Eye of the Tiger," and "Silver Bullet," to name a few. Busey almost lost it all, thanks to a motorcycle accident on December 4, 1988.
Busey was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle without a helmet when he slipped on a patch of gravel. He engaged his break, causing him to fly off the bike and land directly on his head. Busey described the accident in an interview with The Guardian: "I went off the bike without a helmet, hit my head into a [curb], split my skull, passed away after brain surgery, and went to the other side." Busey went on to explain his experiences being on the other side.
The injury put Busey into a coma for over a month, and he didn't come out of it until January 6, 1989. Busey's injuries were significant, requiring emergency neurosurgery to save his life. Ultimately, his doctors managed to put him back together, but he's had permanent brain damage ever since. Busey returned to acting and has been in dozens of movies over the years. He never regained his level of success from the 1970s and early '80s.