STAR Trek icon William Shatner has broken his silence following his emergency hospital visit – and he even made a quip about his “demise”.
The legendary actor, 94, best known for portraying Captain Kirk in the beloved show, spoke out after he was rushed to hospital – sparking fears for his health.
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Shatner was reportedly hospitalised following a medical complication related to his blood sugar on Wednesday afternoon, sources said.
The acting giant was reportedly at his Los Angeles home when paramedics responded to the emergency.
His agency Talent Works later denied claims the Hollywood star had been taken to hospital – before Shatner broke his silence on Thursday.
He said on Instagram: “Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.
“I over indulged. I thank you all for caring but I’m perfectly fine.”
It comes after Shatner was said to be “doing good” and “resting comfortably”, sources close to him previously told TMZ.
An LAFD ambulance was sent to his home as a precaution, the outlet reported.
The Hollywood legend has been open about his ongoing health issues throughout his acting career.
Last year, Shatner revealed that he had been diagnosed and was treated for stage 4 melanoma — an advanced and aggressive form of skin cancer that spreads to other parts of the body.
Shatner noticed a simple lump under his right ear and visited his family doctor, who told him not to worry and to massage and monitor it, the actor told Healio.
Shatner also suffers from permanent tinnitus, which was caused after he stood too close to a special effects explosion while filming for Star Trek in 1967.
He was able to undergo surgery to remove the lump, the New York Post reported.
Shatner is most famously known for portraying the role of Captain Kirk in the Star Trek franchise.
The cast included Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy, James Doohan as Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott and Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura.
His career started in 1951 and over time he has worked in the industry as actor, author, producer, director, screenwriter, and singer.
He also had lead roles in TJ Hooker, The Practice and Boston Legal.
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In 2000, he co-starred in the movie Miss Congeniality and the sequel, Miss Congeniality 2: Armed And Fabulous, in 2004.
Shatner made the 2023 documentary You Can Call Me Bill as a way to reach out to his grandchildren after he dies, he told Variety.
He revealed: “I’ve turned down a lot of offers to do documentaries before. But I don’t have long to live.”
Shatner made headlines again on October 12, 2021, as he travelled into space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin mission.
The Star Trek captain launched into space and back as a passenger aboard the rocket.
His 11-minute journey marked him as the oldest person to travel to outer space in history.
Shatner spoke about his adventure at New York’s Comic-Con, revealing that he was terrified to go into space.
He said: “My friend Jason Erhlick came to me and said he was seeing these rockets with people going into space. And, wouldn’t it be something if Captain Kirk went up there?
“And I said, ‘Jason, for God’s sake, man. Nobody cares if Captain Kirk goes to space. It was 55 years ago, man. But I’m doing well, maybe I should go up to space?’”
The actor is still involved in several projects and appears at fan events – most recently a panel at Dragon Con in Atlanta last month.
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