Chevy Chase Nearly Died: Daughter Reveals He Was in a Coma for 8 Days

A new documentary has revealed that Chevy Chase spent about eight days in a coma after suffering heart failure during the pandemic. The 82-year-old comedian was hospitalized for five weeks in 2021 due to serious heart problems, which were not fully disclosed at the time.

“[He] has basically come back from the dead. He had heart failure,” Chase’s daughter, Caley Chase, said in the documentary, “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” which premieres Jan. 1 on CNN.

Chase’s wife, Jayni, explained the medical issues further. “Something was wrong, and he couldn’t explain to me what was wrong. So, we go to the ER. His heart stops. During those years he was drinking, he got cardiomyopathy; when the heart muscles get weaker, they can’t pump as much blood out with each beat.” Cardiomyopathy is a chronic condition that can lead to heart failure and other complications.

Chase’s longtime friend, Peter Aaron, described the severity of the situation: “They decided to put him into a coma for maybe eight days. That’s pretty rough on the body.” Caley added, “The doctor had warned us: ‘We might not get him back. We don’t know how present he’ll be. Prepare yourselves for the worst.’ He woke up, all he could do was use his voice.”

Despite the challenges, Caley recognized her father’s sense of humor returning. “She said, ‘I’m going to have to put this in here.’ And he said, ‘That’s what she said,’” she recalled. Aaron mentioned that Chase had some cognitive difficulties after the coma and used games like chess and cards to regain his focus.

In a 2021 statement, Chase said, “I can only say how happy I am to now be back with my family. I’m feeling good. I was in the hospital five weeks. A heart issue. So, for now, I’m around the house. Not going anywhere.”

Chase noted that his memory was affected by the coma. “According to the doctors, my memory would be shot from it. That’s what’s happened here,” he said. In the documentary, he admitted he often does not recall certain past incidents, including conflicts on shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “Community.”

Chase also opened up about feeling left out from the “SNL” 50th anniversary special. “It was kind of upsetting, actually. This is probably the first time I’m saying it. But I expected that I would’ve been on the stage too with all the other actors. When Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn’t. No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?”

He added, “I did bring it up once in a text to Lorne [Michaels] and then took it back. I said, ‘Okay, I take it back, silly.’ But it’s not that silly. Somebody’s made a bad mistake there. I don’t know who it was, but somebody made a mistake. They should’ve had me on that stage. It hurt.”

The documentary sheds light on both Chase’s serious health struggles and the impact it has had on his memory and life, giving fans a rare glimpse into the challenges he faced during the pandemic.

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