Seinfeld alum Michael Richards is revealing his bout with cancer that he thought signaled the end on the line for him.
IIn his forthcoming memoir, Entrances and Exits, he recounts his diagnosis of stage 1 prostate cancer during the summer of 2018. A routine checkup had revealed elevated PSA levels, leading to the discovery of the disease.
“I thought. well, this is my time. I’m ready to go,” Richards recently told People about when he got the diagnosis. “But then my son came to mind just a few seconds later and I heard myself saying, “I’ve got a 9-year-old and I’d like to be around for him. Is there any way I can get a little more life going?”
Indeed, Richards could buy more time. However, the solution to do so was intense.
After an unfavorable biopsy result, his doctor recommended surgery to remove the entire prostate.
“It had to be contained quickly,” Richards recalled. “I had to go for the full surgery. If I hadn’t, I probably would have been dead in about eight months.”
Michael Richard Cancer Scare Inspired Him to Write His Memior
Michael Richards‘ brush with death was one of the reasons he sat down to write his memoir, which drops in June. Of course, it helped the the UHF star was overly prepared.
“I had over 40 journals I’d kept over the years and wanted to do a full review of my life,” he revealed. “I’m turning 75, so maybe wanting to do that is something that comes with being my age.”
“I wanted to connect with feelings and memory,” he explained. “I’m surprised at how much I was able to remember.”
Of course, Richards’ career was all but ended after his infamous racist tirade after being heckled while doing stand-up back in 2006. After being told by an audience member that his stand-up wasn’t funny, Richards shot back with a rant that included the n-word.
“Of course, looking back at all, I wish I had just agreed with him,” he writes in his upcoming memoir. “He went low and I went even lower. We both ended up at the bottom of the barrel.”
For the past 17 years, Richards has retreated from the spotlight, dedicating his time to reading and studying religion and philosophy. He also enjoys family time with his wife, actress Beth Skipp and their son, Antionio.
Meanwhile, he keeps a close-knit circle of friends, including Jerry Seinfeld, who penned the foreword to his book.
“[I’m] learning and healing. Healing and learning,” he notes about life mostly outside of Hollywood. “But life is always an up and a down.”