Dolph Lundgren Reveals He Considered Suicide During His Cancer Treatment

Dolph Lundgren, best known for playing boxer Ivan Drago in Rocky IV and Creed II, has opened up about some of the darkest moments of his battle with cancer. In his new memoir, the actor revealed that during treatment, he seriously considered the possibility of ending his life.

The 68-year-old Lundgren discussed the experience in his book Fights Worth Fighting: Finding Strength in Struggle, which was released on September 22. According to the actor, the intensive treatment left him in such a difficult emotional state that he began considering even that option.

Lundgren was first diagnosed with cancer in 2015. In 2020, doctors discovered new tumors and told the actor that he likely had around three years to live. “At that point, I was devastated and had almost completely lost hope,” Lundgren wrote. He also revealed that he discussed with his brother Johan the possibility of what he described as a “legal exit” from life if his condition became unbearable.

“By then, I could have been in such a bad state that I might not have been able to take my own life,” the actor admitted. He noted that some European countries, including Switzerland, have procedures that allow terminally ill people to seek assisted dying, although in his case, the involvement of another person might have been necessary.

Lundgren emphasized, however, that the conversation with his brother went no further. It was later discovered that his original diagnosis had been incorrect. In 2022, further examinations revealed that the actor actually had lung cancer, not kidney cancer.

After his treatment plan was changed, Lundgren’s condition improved significantly. In 2024, the actor announced that he was cancer-free.

Even after overcoming the disease, however, he had to deal with the emotional aftermath of what he had experienced. Lundgren is now undergoing therapy for cancer survivors, which he compares to the post-traumatic therapy received by military personnel returning from war.

“When you go through cancer, you can develop PTSD, somewhat similar to a soldier coming back from war, because you’ve confronted your own mortality,” the actor explained.

According to Lundgren, his therapist reminded him of a simple truth: everyone knows that they will die one day, but most people try not to think about it. “You could get hit by a bus any day. But they told me, ‘When you had cancer, you already saw the bus. You saw its color and its number.’ So everything becomes a little different,” Lundgren said.

Today, the actor hopes that sharing his story will help other people facing difficult challenges.