Actor Chevy Chase is revealing his health struggles, including heart failure and memory loss.
Chase, 83, said In the upcoming CNN documentary “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” that his heart failure had led to the memory loss, per The Hill.
The documentary delves into how Chase and his family have dealt with controversies from his career, even though he has no memory of them.
His daughter, Caley Chase, said he has no memory of the incidents because he “came back from the dead,” when he was treated for heart failure in 2021.
He spent five weeks in the hospital, according to People magazine.
“Well, I mean, he’s 80-something and has basically come back from the dead,” Caley Chase said. “Oh my God, he had heart failure. Have they talked about that at all? It’s so hard to talk about.”
His wife, Jayni Chase, said he had cardiomyopathy.
“Something was wrong, and he couldn’t explain to me what was wrong. So, we go to the ER. His heart stops,” said Jayni Chase. She has been married to Chase since 1982. “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.”
Chase said doctors attribute his memory loss to the cardiomyopathy.
“According to the doctors, my memory would be shot from it, and that’s what’s happened here,” he said in the film, which premiers on New Year’s Day.
The actor, who’s known for his work on “Community,” “Saturday Night Live” and the “National Lampoon” movies, says playing cards and chess help.
“Heart failure is what it is,” he said. “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.”
