John Lithgow — Who Has Survived Cancer 3 Times — Hopes for a 'Good Ending' that 'No One Grieves Over'

Mar. 15, 2025

John Lithgow in 2022 in Los Angeles.Photo:Leon Bennett/WireImage

Leon Bennett/WireImage

John Lithgowshared his thoughts about death — and how he’d like to be remembered — after experiencing the death of a close friend.

Thesix-time Emmy winner, 79, who has survived cancer three times, shared that the loss of his friend and colleague, Doug McGrath, impacted his view of death, onRachel Martin’s podcastWild Card.

“It was such a traumatic thing to experience. He died painlessly and almost courteously. He didn’t make anybody else suffer over his death except over the fact that it had happened like that,” the3rd Rock from the Sunalum said.

John Lithgow and Doug McGrath.John Lithgow/X

John Lithgow/X

“Did that change anything for you and how you think of it? The endness of it all?” Martin asked, prompting Lithgow to reply, “I was startled at how soon I was able to absorb it. It’s just having happened and the new reality. This lovely man, who was quite a dear friend having worked together so closely, he was simply gone, and I knew that he was gone.”

“Did it make you any more or less comfortable with your own demise?” Martin asked.

“More,” Lithgow said. “I just know it’s coming. It’s coming, and I think the best thing is to have a gracious ending.”

“Well, people will grieve,” Martin said.

John Lithgow in New York in 2024.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

“I can’t believe I’m talking about these things,” Lithgow said, chuckling. “I’ve had three cancers in my life. First in 1988, 2004, and then only a couple of years ago. In every case, dealt with immediately and put an end to — you know, melanomas that could be removed, detected early and removed. Aprostatectomythat eliminated prostate cancer from my life.”

“But I’m almost glad that I had the shocking experience of being told you have a malignancy,” he said, sharing that the experiences forced him “to have realistically contemplated, ‘Oh my God, this might really — I might die of this.’ “

“I think it was a useful experience to have," he explained, “in terms of just putting your whole life into perspective.”

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source: people.com