Originally appeared on E! Online
Chevy Chase is looking back at a harrowing time in his life.
The comedian, who was hospitalized in 2021 after experiencing heart failure, is opening up about his health scare in the forthcoming CNN documentary, “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not.” In addition to the “Saturday Night Live” alum himself, those closest to him are also detailing the frightening circumstances, including his daughter Caley Chase.
“Well, I mean, he’s 80-something and has basically come back from the dead,” Caley said of the experience in the doc out Jan. 1, according to People. “He had heart failure…It’s so hard to talk about.”
His wife of 43 years Jayni Chase also shared what led up to Chase’s medical stay.
“Something was wrong, and he couldn’t explain to me what was wrong,” she explained, per the outlet. “So, we go to the ER. His heart stops.” Referring to his past alcohol-related issues, Jayni added, “During those years he was drinking, he got cardiomyopathy—when the heart muscles get weaker, and they can’t pump as much blood out with each beat.”
READ Chevy Chase Is Recovering After 5-Week Hospitalization for a “Heart Issue”
Amid Chase’s hospital stay, doctors “decided to put him into a coma for maybe eight days,” his friend Peter Aaron shared in the documentary, adding that the actor’s “memory gaps come from that incident.”
The “Community” alum went on to share what he was told about his road ahead after recovery.
“According to the doctors, my memory would be shot from it, and that’s what’s happened here,” Chase shared in the doc, noting he played card games and chess to improve his cognitive skills. “I’m fine now. It’s just that it affects your memory, and the doctors have told me that, so, I have to be reminded of things.”
In March 2021, Chase — who also shares daughters Cydney and Emily with Jayni — confirmed he spent five weeks in the hospital due to a “heart issue.” At the time, he joked “no need to go out” amid the pandemic.
“These are my first few days home,” he told Page Six. “I can only say how happy I am to now be back with my family. I’m feeling good. For now, I’m around the house. Not going anywhere.”
Cory Michael Smith and Dylan O’Brien talk with Sara Gore about becoming Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd in the new film, “Saturday Night.”
