Chevy Chase experienced a mishap and fell right off the stage during a live appearance at Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, New York, Wednesday night.
Video footage of the event shows the famous actor getting rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair. Members of the audience cheered wildly when he abandoned the wheelchair and stood upright. He seemed steady on his feet as he made his way across the stage, but then suddenly, his arms went up into the air, and he took a tumble off the stage and onto the ground, as seen in the clip posted by TMZ.
The video shows his wife, Jayni, putting her hands to her face in shock as she watched Chase lose his footing and fall. She immediately ran to his aid and attempted to help him back onto the stage to try again.
Fans that attended the show later reported that Chase pushed through and remained on-stage, then proceeded to participate in the scheduled question and answer period, according to TMZ. He reportedly sat with an ice pack on his knees for the remainder of the event, but seemed otherwise unbothered by the fall.
Sources close to the famous actor later came forward to indicate he misjudged the edge of the stage, and wasn’t able to see clearly because the stage lights blacked out where the actual edge was situated, according to TMZ.(RELATED: Country Star Shania Twain Wipes Out On Stage)
Chase was attending a screening of his “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” and was expected to participate in a question and answer period during his visit.
It remains unclear why the 80-year-old star was in a wheelchair in the first place, or what prompted him to leave the wheelchair and attempt to walk across the stage.