Billy Porter Says He Was 'Dead for 3 Days' as He Reflects on Sepsis Battle

Billy Porter is looking back at his terrifying health battle.

Back in September, the 56-year-old Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner was forced to exit his role as the Emcee in Broadway’s Cabaret after he was diagnosed with sepsis.

In a new interview, Billy reflected on the medical emergency, revealing that he was in a coma for several days after learning that he had a kidney stone stuck in his urethra that caused him to develop the life-threatening medical condition.

Keep reading to find out more…“When they got in there, there was so much puss and bile, and infection, behind the stone,” Billy recalled on the Outlaws podcast, explaining that the infection led to him having a type of sepsis called urosepsis, which begins in the urinary tract and travels to the kidneys.

“It bubbled up and I went uroseptic in minutes,” he noted.

Billy had gone to the doctor for a “routine check” at the time, and recalled being quickly put on an ECMO machine, a form of life support, due to the severity of his condition.

“I was dead for three days,” Billy said. “I am a miracle. I’m a walking miracle.”

However, Billy wasn’t immediately out of the woods when he woke up for the coma. After he was taken off life support, his doctors informed him that his leg had “compartment syndrome,” which he described as “when the muscles close in on themselves and cut off the oxygen.”

“They had to cut me open on either side of my leg while I was in a coma, and from my knee to my hip, and leave it open for two days so they could save my leg,” he revealed.

Ultimately, Billy was able to make a full recovery.

“I am so grateful to be here,” he said. “It is such a gift.”

He also shared some of the important life lessons he learned from his health battle.

“As I sat in my hospital bed, reflecting, there were a couple of things I heard. The first thing I heard was: Work smarter, not harder,” Billy shared. “The second thing I heard was: Be obedient and answer the call. And the third thing I heard was: Don’t you ever stop telling the truth again.”

If you didn’t see, Billy revealed that a member of the British Royal Family sent him a get-well card when he was sick.