He once played some of cinema’s most dangerous and unpredictable men, but no script could match what happened to him off-screen. At the height of his fame, one violent crash left him clinically dead, and a second diagnosis threatened to undo everything he’d fought to rebuild. His story, which is still unfolding in his 80s, is one of survival, transformation, and a spiritual journey that began with a brush with death.
Before becoming a well-known actor, Gary Busey was a talented musician. Film, however, was his true calling. He rose to fame in the late 1970s with an Oscar-nominated performance in The Buddy Holly Story. His trademark intensity soon landed him roles in iconic action films like Lethal Weapon, Predator 2, and Point Break, cementing his place as a gritty and dynamic star.
A Near-Fatal Crash and a New Beginning
Everything changed in December 1988 when Busey was in a severe motorcycle accident. He was thrown from his Harley-Davidson, sustaining a double compound fracture to his pelvis and a critical head injury. He was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma. During the operation, Busey was clinically dead for a brief period. He later described a near-death experience where he felt a powerful sense of love and was given a choice to return to his life on Earth, which he chose.
Medically, the accident had caused damage to his frontal lobe, leading to a change in his personality that manifested as impulsivity and erratic behavior. The spiritual beliefs that emerged from his experience shaped a new public persona, defined by “Buseyisms”—word-based spiritual definitions—and what he called a rebirth of his purpose.
A Second Life-Threatening Illness
Nearly a decade later, while filming in Hawaii, Busey faced another life-threatening crisis. He experienced a severe nosebleed that led to a diagnosis of sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer in his nasal cavity. He underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove the tumor, followed by radiation therapy that, although successful, caused permanent facial distortion. This second brush with death reinforced a lesson he had already learned: survival often comes at a cost, and healing is a long, arduous process.
Today, Busey is 81 years old and remains active in the entertainment industry. He credits his longtime partner, Steffanie Sampson, with helping him find stability. Though his public persona is often viewed as eccentric, it is rooted in his experiences with trauma, addiction, and his deeply held spiritual beliefs. Gary Busey’s life stands as a testament to human resilience, demonstrating that one can overcome immense physical and personal challenges and emerge with a profound sense of purpose.