{"id":2166575,"date":"2025-11-19T14:47:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2166575"},"modified":"2025-11-19T14:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:47:10","slug":"jane-fonda-recalls-thinking-she-was-going-to-die-at-age-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/jane-fonda-recalls-thinking-she-was-going-to-die-at-age-30\/","title":{"rendered":"Jane Fonda Recalls Thinking She Was ‘Going to Die’ at Age 30"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Jane Fonda<\/strong><\/a> never thought she\u2019d live this long.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d live past 30,\u201d Fonda, 87, shared during the Wednesday, November 19, episode of \u201cThe Look,\u201d<\/a> a special series from Michelle Obama\u2019s \u201cIMO\u201d podcast. \u201cI was sure I was going to die.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fonda explained that her \u201cyouth was not especially happy,\u201d recalling her mother Frances Ford Seymour<\/strong>\u2019s death when she was 12 years old. (Her father is the late famed actor, Henry Fonda<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not addictive, but I thought I was going to die from drugs and loneliness,\u201d Jane explained. \u201cSo the fact that I\u2019m almost 88 is astonishing to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t go back for anything. I feel more centered, more whole, more complete. I\u2019m very happy, single.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t
\n Related: <\/span>Jane Fonda Through the Years: Her Life in Photos<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n\t\t\tJane Fonda comes from a family of actors, but she quickly made a name for herself and became an icon in her own right. Born in 1937 to Frances Ford Seymour and movie legend Henry Fonda, Jane became interested in acting as a teen after starring alongside her dad in a charity performance in Nebraska. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Elsewhere in the episode, Jane explained that she\u2019s \u201cnever\u201d been afraid of getting older.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore importantly, I\u2019m not afraid of dying,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe most important thing I did was when I was going to turn 60, and in my mind \u2026 this is the beginning of my final act, and I didn\u2019t know how to live it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, Jane reflected on her biggest fears.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid of dying with a lot of regrets. I watched my dad die with a lot of regrets,\u201d she explained. \u201cThat was an important realization for me, because if you don\u2019t want to die with regrets, then you have to live the last part of your life in such a way that there won\u2019t be any regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jane continued, \u201cI also want to be surrounded by people who love me. \u2026 Forgiveness comes into play, including forgiving myself. That actually has guided me in the last 30 years. I\u2019ve been living to not have regrets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The podcast episode with Obama, 61, focused specifically on aging as women.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that old age is fantastic if it\u2019s lived intentionally,\u201d Jane added. \u201cIntentionality is the key. Really thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The actress also explained her theory on staying healthy and continuing to take care of her body as she gets older.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m controversial, and I\u2019m an activist, and I\u2019ve been very unpopular,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m popular right now. It probably won\u2019t last, but I think that it\u2019s important for somebody like me \u2014 who\u2019s an activist \u2014 to show that I can also look good and then I\u2019m still hireable. It encourages the young ones to not be so afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n