“Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schneider revealed the heart-wrenching lie he told his wife while she was on her death bed in an interview published Wednesday.
John recalled the final moments of Alicia Allain Schneider’s life and admitted they were the toughest he’s ever had to face. Alicia had been battling breast cancer and even though he didn’t want to lose the love of his life, John said he told her it was ok for her to go.
“I of course told her it was OK. ‘If you’re tired, if you want to go see your grandma, you want to go see your grandpa … then it’s OK,'” John recalled saying, according to People. He remembers telling her he’ll be alright, knowing that he absolutely wouldn’t be.
John Schneider Tears Up Talking About Losing His Wife Alicia to Cancer: ‘I Miss Every Damn Thing’ (Exclusive) https://t.co/DzJwOy2r9l
— People (@people) August 30, 2023
“But then I lied, because I said, ‘Don’t worry about me; I’ll be OK,'” he said, as he sobbed during the interview.
“That was a lie I had to tell, but she knew it. OK is a long way away,” he said.
The famous actor expressed the deep love the two of them shared and the last words he said to his wife before she passed away.
“The last thing I said to her was, ‘I love you desperately, and I’ve got multiple sets of very long-term plans for you.’ And that’s true, because eternity’s a very long time, and I believe it. I’m counting on it,” he said, according to People.
Alicia was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2019. She and John married in the middle of her medical treatment and she went into remission in 2020.
John’s wife broke her back in a race car crash in 2020 and scans showed her cancer had returned and metastasized to the bone. Further treatment proved to be unsuccessful.
When John realized she was nearing the end of her fight, in February 2023, he honored Alicia’s wishes by bringing her home from the hospital. Alicia was surrounded by loved ones for six days before she died Feb. 21 at the age of 53.
John was not there when Alicia took her final breath. (RELATED: Sarah Ferguson Undergoes Breast Cancer Surgery)
“The thing that helped me most in the grieving process was I’m quite sure that she waited for me not to be there, because I think she knew I couldn’t handle it,” he said.
“Her mom and her dad were there, her daughter [Jessica Dollard] was there, her daughter’s fiancé [Daniel Turner] (now husband) was there, and I think she waited for me to be gone.”