In a gripping revelation, Chevy Chase, the iconic star of Saturday Night Live, faced a harrowing health crisis during the pandemic, as detailed in CNN’s forthcoming documentary, I’m Chevy Chase And You’re Not. The documentary, which airs on January 1, delves into Chase’s close brush with death due to heart failure, which led to him being placed in an induced coma.

Throughout the documentary, Chase’s family recounts the alarming five-week hospital ordeal that nearly claimed his life. His wife, Jayni Chase, vividly remembers the moment they realized something was terribly wrong. “Something was wrong, and he couldn’t explain to me what was wrong. So, we go to the ER. His heart stops,” she recalls, explaining that Chase had developed cardiomyopathy from years of drinking, a condition where weakened heart muscles hinder blood circulation.

Peter Aaron, a close family member, sheds light on the medical intervention that followed. Doctors decided to place Chase in a coma for approximately eight days, a measure Aaron describes as “pretty rough on the body.”

Adding to the gravity of the situation, Chase’s daughter, Caley Chase, recounts the somber warning from medical professionals. “They warned us: ‘We might not get him back. We don’t know how present he’ll be. Prepare yourselves for the worst,’” she reveals, highlighting the uncertainty and fear that loomed over the family during that critical time.

His daughter, Caley Chase, also shared that the doctors “warned us: ‘We might not get him back. We don’t know how present he’ll be. Prepare yourselves for the worst.’”

“He woke up, all he could do was use his voice,” she recounted. “He has basically come back from the dead.”

The Community actor revealed he still suffers from “memory gaps” as a result of the “near-fatal” incident. “According to the doctors, my memory would be shot from it,” he said. “That’s what’s happened here.”

Chase later clarified, “I’m fine now. It’s just that it affects your memory, the doctors have told me that. So, I have to be reminded of things.”

At another point in the documentary, Chase also reflects on being snubbed at the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary celebration.

“Well, it was kind of upsetting actually,” he admitted. “This is probably the first time I’m saying it. But I expected that I would’ve been on the stage too with all the other actors. When Garrett [Morris] and Laraine [Newman] went on the stage there, I was curious as to why I didn’t. No one asked me to. Why was I left aside?”

Directed by Marina Zenovich, the revealing CNN documentary will dive into Chase’s complicated legacy as one of the biggest stars in comedy, beginning with his rise in Saturday Night Live to becoming a blockbuster star. The documentary features interviews with Dan Aykroyd, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Short, Kevin Smith and more.

I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not premieres Thursday, Jan 1 at 8 p.m. on CNN. It will be available to stream next day.