Ted Danson Recounts Health Scare That Shifted His View on Mortality

Ted Danson received a health scare that changed his outlook on life.

The 78-year-old sitcom star said the recent episode jolted him into a new reality and ended any notion of a free pass. "The last thing that kind of hit me that was very liberating was I had a bit of a health scare. I'm totally fine, but it was like, 'Oh, well, that's real.' And it was humbling and, 'Oh, mortality is the real deal,' you know. It's not just a rumor," Danson said on his podcast, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name."

The Cheers actor said the experience shifted him from casually noting health to actively focusing on it. "Ted Danson doesn't get a free pass. Love his work, but … you know," he joked. He added, "And I hadn't f---ed up in some way, so I couldn't go, ‘Oh, Ted.’"

Guest Valerie Bertinelli suggested that if he had caused the scare, he could say, "Damn it, if I'd only …," but added, "There's no ‘if onlys.'"

Danson replied, "It was very humbling and calming. And I'm fine, you know. But it was, I think, the best thing that could have happened to me, and I'm doing some things differently. I am meditating now twice a day with Mary … I've always talked about it and lied about it."

His wife, Mary Steenburgen, stands at the center of his lifestyle changes. The pair met in 1993 on the set of Pontiac Moon and married on Oct. 7, 1995, on Martha's Vineyard.

Danson gained fame as Sam Malone on the sitcom Cheers during its 11-season run from 1982 to 1993. He appeared in all 273 episodes, one of the few cast members to do so. The show ended largely because Danson chose to leave for new opportunities, and executives decided not to continue without their lead.