Jeff Bridges’ Health Scares Made Him Realize ‘What’s Important in Life’: ‘It’s All a Gift’

Following his release from the hospital in 2021, Jeff Bridges spent a lot of time contemplating the fountain outside his garage. He enjoyed watching the birds and butterflies that flew down for a sip of water. “Your attention gets narrower in old age,” he says. “But there are beautiful things to be seen within that narrow focus.”

On December 4, the still ruggedly handsome actor turned 75. Jeff ’s mother, Dorothy, lived to 93, so he’s hopeful that he still has some very good years ahead of him. “Turning 75 still seems crazy to Jeff, but this milestone, because of his health issues from the past couple of years, is definitely more meaningful,” says a friend. “Jeff has always been insightful, but he’s much more in tune with what’s important in life.”

Winning battles with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and COVID has given Jeff a fresh perspective. “Life is constantly giving us gifts,” he says. “They may be gifts that we don’t think we want. Who wants cancer? Who wants [damn] COVID? Well, it turns out, I did. It’s a gift, man, to realize that I’ve got eyes to look at all this beautiful stuff in the world. I can feel the temperature of the day on my skin. I’ve got a wife who loves me, my kids, too, and I can bathe in that love. It’s all a gift.”

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Jeff Bridges Is Grateful for Wife Susan

Jeff carries a photograph of himself and his wife, Susan, from the day they met on a film set in Montana. “I see this girl in this bandanna. She’s gorgeous, and I can’t take my eyes off her,” remembers Jeff, who calls their meeting love at first sight, although they didn’t begin dating until a few years later. He admits that when they wed in 1977, he wasn’t very mature about it. “The only way I could get married was to give myself a caveat: ‘Oh, you can always get a divorce,’” he recalled, noting that Susan finally called him out on his bad attitude and told him to make a choice. “She’d put up with that [garbage] for three years. And thank God she did.”

Susan’s love and loyalty also kept their family strong when Jeff was hospitalized for five weeks in a 2021 life-and-death battle with COVID. “Sue would ask, ‘Is he gonna die?’ You know, they wouldn’t say no,” he recalls. “She used a lot of cuss words, [and] said, ‘You better not let him die.’ She’s a very strong, strong woman.”

Today, Jeff is grateful for the life they still share. He’s delighted to be working again — The Old Man recently completed airing its second season. He’s also happy to have time to putter around the man cave he built in his garage, playing music, painting or just watching the birds in his fountain. “His health is fine today,” says the friend. “He gets regular checkups and he’s hopeful. He jokes that he’s better at resting than he ever was before.”

Jeff also feels a bit wiser. “It’s interesting,” he says. “New [stuff] comes up constantly as you get older. But it’s not like you’re learning new [stuff]; it’s more like you’re practicing how you respond to life. You kind of get to practice what you are.”