Tragic Details About Annie Potts From Young Sheldon

Annie Potts has lived an extraordinarily tragic life. Newer generations probably know Potts as Sheldon Cooper's hilariously offbeat grandmother on "Young Sheldon," a spinoff of "The Big Bang Theory." But she's a bonafide legend who's been working in Hollywood for several decades. Other notable projects include "Designing Women," the "Toy Story" franchise, and "Ghostbusters," but honestly, her resume is too long to recite. Great success has followed Potts' ascent within Hollywood, making for a well-rounded, fulfilling career. Just don't call her an icon. "It makes me feel old," Potts shared with ET about the title in 2022. "Because you have to have been around for awhile to achieve that."

Potts has also faced her fair share of challenges in life. For example, despite proving herself for several decades in business, it's actually gotten harder for her to secure roles as she's aged. "There are a lot of different things; the script is a good place to start," Potts revealed to Playbill about her motivation to do the theater. "The people. All of it; you know it's kind of a harmonic convergence of things." she continued. "Of course, you know, as an actress, especially when you're older, those good roles get fewer and fewer, so when something comes along like this, that's so juicy that celebrates age and wisdom... Come on, that's a keeper." Unfortunately, Potts' encounters with tragedy go way deeper than her career.

When Annie Potts was in her early '20s, she survived a serious car accident. While speaking with The Guardian in March 2024, Potts revealed that a group of drunk drag racers collided with her while driving down the wrong side of the road. The impact, unfortunately, broke nearly every bone below her waist. "It took a very long time to recover. I'm still trying to recover," admitted the star. It also gave her a renewed appreciation for her life. "Yes, when you almost lose your life, it becomes pretty dear," she continued. "I don't know if you can know how dear it is until you are faced with losing it." Potts also described the harrowing ordeal as "my hardest and my best teacher because I learned so much."

That same month, Potts also spoke with Senior Planet, revealing that the accident that had critically injured her, had impacted her attitude about life. "Well, when I was very young, I almost died. I was in a very critical car accident," shared Potts. "And I think when you have an experience where you almost lose your life very young it just gives you a sensational appetite for life. I think it's a survivor kind of thing – It's like Man, this is great, because I almost didn't have it. So I just try to relish it." She continued, "It's made me really take care of my body because it got broken up pretty badly. I have an appetite for life and I think I also have a knack for happiness, so I think that's helped."

Although it's been more than five decades since Annie Potts nearly lost her life in her tragic car accident, she's still dealing with complications today. "I've had more than 20 orthopedic surgeries," Potts revealed to Glamour in March 2022. "It was amazing that I survived, and I haven't ever talked about it much because I felt that people might think I was less able than I might need to be." Due to her desire to continue working, Potts hid this side of her life until the right part came along. "When Pippin came along on Broadway in 2014, I thought, Well, I'm playing an old woman now; if I'm a little gimpy, it's okay," she continued, adding, "So I auditioned for that in my early 60s and got it. My orthopedic surgeon was like, 'What are you thinking? I'm very worried about you.; But I was like, Nope, I'm doing it.'"

Unfortunately, Potts still deals with chronic pain several decades later. "Yes. It has been a lot to handle." Not to mention, she's still having surgeries to correct what the accident broke. "And with the ankle-replacement surgery, I'm going to be flat on my back for a month," she continued, adding. "I'm an energetic person, so it's like, Oh, shoot. I've had to learn how to walk again so many times now, I can't even count. But anything that doesn't kill you is usually the making of you, so it's certainly made me a more empathetic person, a more compassionate person." In addition to ankle replacement surgery, Potts has also recently had back surgery. She shared the news with her fans on Instagram in May 2025. "Three weeks after spinal fusion and anterior plate something or something I don't know ... I'm almost 100 percent bionic now... and I'm back on the treadmill," shared Potts during a video of her completing her physical therapy. "72. So there."

The central family in "Young Sheldon" was incredibly close-knit, despite their peculiarities, but the cast was even closer in real life. Upon the show's cancellation in 2024, Annie Potts struggled to come to terms with closing this chapter due to the close bonds she'd formed with her co-stars — especially the kids, Raegan Revord and Iain Armitage. "I'm going to cry right now," shared Potts with People in February of that year. "I love the children, and it's been a privilege to watch them grow up. [Iain is] so grown up, and when we started, he and Reagan would get on my lap and kiss me and play with my fingernails and my ears." She continued, "They were tiny, and all day long, they just say, he would say — and they still do — 'I love you. I love you, Miss Annie.'"

Potts expressed similar sentiments to People two months later. "They were so little when we started," Potts shared with the publication. "They were this big, and now look at them." She continued, "My God, they all turned out so beautiful and so sweet, and we feel like we had a hand in raising them ... When we started out, they would sit in my lap and just play with my fingers and kiss me and tell me they love me all day long." Fortunately, for Potts, Revord and Armitage are still just as affectionate with her. "That, and they still do actually," shje continued, adding, "They're a little big for my lap, but they still love me and kiss me all day long and tell me they love me. That's not a bad way to live."

Next up: Gut wrenching details about the cast of "Young Sheldon."