Ric Flair Details Near-Death Episode After Decades of Drinking: ‘It Scared the Sh– Out of Me’
WWE icon was given just a 20 percent chance to live last month
Tony Maglio | September 20, 2017 @ 12:41 PM
Last Updated: September 20, 2017 @ 12:46 PM
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“Nature Boy” Ric Flair is recovering from his recent near-death experience, which the WWE icon admits “scared the sh– out of me” in a recent interview.
“I’m not out of the woods yet,” he told People in this week’s issue.
Last month, the 68-year-old former pro wrestler was rushed to the hospital with stomach pains. Flair soon fell into kidney failure and was on the cusp of congestive heart failure. He was given just a 20 percent chance of survival, and placed in a medically induced coma.
Doctors removed part of Flair’s bowel, and inserted a pacemaker. Flair, who is now in an Atlanta convalescent center, currently needs a nurse to help steady his shaking hands just so he can sip water from a glass.
“I didn’t think I was an alcoholic, but obviously I was,” Flair, who had a failed rehab stint four years ago, told People.
The father of WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair said he started drinking in the early 1970’s to “bond” with fellow wrestlers.
“I never drank when I was working,” Flair added. “But as soon as work was over, I went right to the mill.”
The alcohol also helped with pain, he said. While wrestling results may the predetermined, much of the pain is very real. But moderation didn’t come easy to flair.
“I’ve never taken a pain pill in my life,” Flair said. “I’d just take a shower, flip my hair back and go to the best bar in town.”
But that’s all behind the living legend and subject of an upcoming “30 for 30” documentary.
“I’ll never drink again,” Flair swore. “I never want to go through this again.”
Charlie Sheen's 13 Craziest Moments: From 'Winning' to Curing Alcoholism With His Mind (Photos)
Charlie Sheen boozes his way through "Wall Street" "I'd begun drinking all the time," Sheen recalled of shooting the 1987 Oscar-winning drama. "We shot in New York City, so I'd be out to the bars every night till 3 or 4 a.m., then try to show up for a 6 o'clock call to stand toe to toe with Michael Douglas and handle 50 percent of a scene."
He added, "I'd be drinking away, doing blow [cocaine], popping pills, and telling myself I wasn't an addict, because there wasn't a needle stuck in my arm."
Charlie shoots Kelly Preston In 1990, actress Kelly Preston was shot in the arm -- by Sheen's revolver, which he later claimed had fallen out of his jeans pocket and fired a bullet that struck his then-girlfriend with shrapnel from the toilet bowl.
A Charlie Sheen Christmas Nothing says Christmas like presents under the tree, mistletoe hanging in the doorway and maybe threatening your wife with a knife. At least, that's the way Brooke Mueller claimed things went down on Christmas 2009 when, she told 911, Sheen pinned her to a bed and put a knife up to herthroat.
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Charlie's New York adventure According to reports, the actor allegedly suffered a meltdown at a New York hotel in November 2010 during a stay with porn actress Capri Anderson, during which she claimed, Sheen snorted a white powder, put his hands around her neck and then tore open her purse.
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"Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre is a "maggot" When you're clinging to your high-paying job by a thread, it's probably not a good idea to insult your boss, but that logic apparently eluded Sheen, who tore into Lorre with a scathing open letter in February 2011. Maybe it was the tiger blood talking.
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Charlie cures his alcoholism -- with his mind! In another classic Sheen interview with radio personality Alex Jones in February 2011, the actor reveals that he managed to rid himself of the blight of alcoholism, with the awesome power that is his mind.
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Sheen invents "winning!" In a bizarre March 2011 live stream that attracted over 104,000 viewers in the first 15 minutes, Sheen promised a dial-in from the president, sent #TigerBlood viral while debuting a new "Winning" tattoo.
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Sheen's "20/20" interview In March 2011, as the world gawked at Sheen's increasingly strange behavior and wondered if the "Two and a Half Men" star was nuts, the actor set the record straight with an absolutely unhinged face-to-face with "20/20's" Andrea Canning.
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Charlie Sheen pays Lindsay Lohan's taxes In a typical display of Sheen generosity, the actor sent his "Scary Movie 5" co-star Lindsay Lohan a $100,000 check in 2012 to help her pay back a $230,000 debt to the IRS.
"Charlie has a long history of helping out his friends in many ways and this is just another example of that,” his spokesperson said.
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Charlie gets fake-married to a porn star Hey, remember in early 2014 when Charlie Sheen said he'd tied the knot to adult actress Brett Rossi ... and then it turned out to be a big joke? Probably for the best, because he's not all that good at the marriage thing.
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Charlie threatens Ashton Kutcher With his lucrative "Two and a Half Men" gig in his rear-view mirror, Sheen did the logical thing and threatened Ashton Kutcher, his successor on the once-popular CBS sitcom. As a war of words between the two actors grew more heated in 2014, Sheen tweeted, "[Y]ou ever tell me to shut the F*** up, EVER again and I'll put you on a hospital food diet for a year."
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Sheen's "bad reaction" to gas at the dentist's office Nobody enjoys visiting the dentist, but Sheen may have taken things too far when, according to reports, he allegedly went after his dentist with a knife in 2014. Sheen's lawyer later dismissed the allegations, claiming the actor had merely had a "bad reaction to the noxious gas put in his mouth and nose."
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Sheen bashes ex-wife Denise Richards on Father's Day Charlie Sheen celebrated Father's Day 2015 by evaluating his ex-wives. While Brooke Mueller got his stamp of approval, Denise Richards didn't fare as well. "Brooke M is a sexy rok star whom I adore D Richards a heretic washed up piglet Shame pile Happy Father's Day!!!" he wrote.
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The actor has had a long career of revelations, social media feuds and classic Hollywood bad-boy behavior
Charlie Sheen boozes his way through "Wall Street" "I'd begun drinking all the time," Sheen recalled of shooting the 1987 Oscar-winning drama. "We shot in New York City, so I'd be out to the bars every night till 3 or 4 a.m., then try to show up for a 6 o'clock call to stand toe to toe with Michael Douglas and handle 50 percent of a scene."
He added, "I'd be drinking away, doing blow [cocaine], popping pills, and telling myself I wasn't an addict, because there wasn't a needle stuck in my arm."
