When Billy Porter declares that he is "a walking miracle," that isn't hyperbole.
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The 56-year-old Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner said he was dead for three days while battling a "serious case" of sepsis last year. Now he's back on stage in a new production of the musical La Cage Aux Folles through June 28.
Billy Porter Was On the Brink
It was last September when Porter was forced to exit a production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. The Pose actor was diagnosed with a "serious case" of sepsis. The actor shared on the Outlaws podcast that it was a kidney stone that caused the catastrophic infection.
"When they got in there, there was so much puss and bile and infection behind the stone," Porter said. "It bubbled up, and I went uroseptic in minutes."
The performer's condition became so dire that he was placed on a form of life support known as an ECMO machine. While in a coma, Porter developed compartment syndrome in his leg. He almost lost the appendage, but doctors performed a series of emergency procedures to save it.
"I was dead for three days," said Porter. "I am a miracle."
Porter Says His Work "Isn't Finished"
Now Porter is busier than ever. In addition to starring with comedian Wayne Brady in La Cage Aux Folles, a musical based on the French play that inspired the Robin Williams film The Birdcage, he has a role in the latest film in The Hunger Games franchise: Sunrise on the Reaping.
The actor is also starting a new podcast with Phoebe Robinson and Leslie Jones. Porter believes that his brush with death changed his view on life.
"It's very emotional for me," Porter said. "I'm so grateful to be alive. I'm so grateful to be back."
He added, "I have a new lease on life. I am alive. And when you're confronted with mortality... this has been a really interesting moment for me. But I'm back. Blessed, booked, busy — all of the above.
"My work isn't finished on this earth."
You can watch Porter's interview below.
