Rocky IV star Dolph Lundgren has been making headlines for something beyond his career: his new memoir, which details his battle with cancer. Amid this, the actor revealed a life-or-death decision he faced during his cancer battle.
Dolph Lundgren says he considered assisted dying when he believed his cancer was terminal
The actor released his new memoir, Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle, on September 22, 2026. In the memoir, Dolph Lundgren revealed that he considered assisted dying when he believed his cancer was terminal.
According to Entertainment Weekly, he wrote, “When I was deep into the cancer treatments and thinking about the possibility of killing myself, my brother, Johan, was going to help me, because I didn’t know what kind of condition I might be in once I made that decision.”
“I could be in really bad shape by then and not capable of completing the suicide on my own. There are countries in Europe, like Switzerland, that permit legal suicide for people who are terminally ill, but I still might have needed someone there to help me,” he added.
Dolph Lundgren went on to explain that the plan with his brother never moved forward because he later met Dr. Alexandra Drakaki. At the time, the Creed II star struggled with depression and had almost given up hope.
In 2015, doctors told the 68-year-old that he had kidney cancer, and the cancer later spread in 2020. However, after Dr. Drakaki conducted new tests and took new samples, doctors determined in 2022 that Lundgren had lung cancer rather than the diagnosis he had previously received.
Lundgren also revealed in his memoir that he started feeling better after following the doctor’s treatment plan. In 2024, he announced that he was cancer-free.
For context, Dolph Lundgren announced in November 2024 that he was cancer-free. He has since continued working and exercising regularly.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
