Sharon Stone Describes Seeing 'Incredibly Bright White' Light in Near-Death Experience Before Feeling 'Kicked in Chest' as She Was Defibrillated
Sharon Stone suffered from a stroke in 2001.
June 29 2026, Updated 1:55 p.m. ET
Sharon Stone revealed that she had a terrifying near-death experience after suffering from a stroke in 2001.
As the actress reflected on the medical crisis, which left her devoid of memory and riddled with mobility issues, she confessed she also had a spiritual experience that included being greeted by "dear ones who had passed," Breaking Celebrity News has learned.
Sharon Stone Reflects on Terrifying Stroke
Stone recalled seeing a bright light in a near-death experience.
Stone, 68, struggled to describe her experience, but said on CNN Podcasts' All There Is With Anderson Cooper, "I saw and felt myself being pulled upward into this incredibly bright white. But white doesn't exactly explain it. This light that is brighter than anything we've ever experienced, like moving directly into something bright as the sun, but not yellow."
According to the star, she began "whooshing upwards" before spotting her dead loved ones, "particularly dear ones who I had aided in their passing ... and I loved so much."
While Stone was happy to see her loved ones, she was jolted back to reality.
"All of a sudden I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest by a mule, you know, just, wow. And I expect they must have defibrillated me," she said.
After being jarred awake, and sitting straight up, Stone was informed she was being taken to a hospital, and then she passed out again.
Stone's Mother Dies in 2025
Stone described the mixed emotions surrounding her mother's death.
Additionally, Stone spoke on the death of her mother and how she had mixed emotions due to their complicated relationship in the past.
“It's okay for me to feel free from my mom, free from her trauma now that she's gone, and to feel growth from her passing," she explained.
Stone's Mother 'Unloaded All the Truama'
Stone's mother struggled with her own family trauma.
Stone shared that her mother lived with her at the end of her life, cared for by a team of staff.
During the day, Stone said her mother didn't want to acknowledge they were mother-daughter and the actress played the role of staff. However, when the caretakers left, vulnerability set in.
"When we were alone, she unloaded all the trauma of her childhood that she hadn't been able to say," Stone said. "And she was terrified to die because she was afraid her parents would be there."
In order to help calm her, Stone told her that her parents would not be there when she passed.
Stone 'Let Go' of Her Mother
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Stone said that her mother's passing required her to let go first.
This confrontation with her mother's death only became more taxing when Stone realized she had to let go first.
She told Cooper, "My mom was holding on and holding on. And I finally realized, I have to let go. I need to release my mother. I need to stop walking in the room. I need to go upstairs and ignore my mother so she will die. And I need to detach and release. And she's only going to die if I let go."
Stone also shared the complex feeling of relief after her mother finally passed.
"There can be a lot of positive feelings, particularly when you care for someone who's dying over a long period of time," she noted. "The caregiver can just be worn to pieces, and the relief a caregiver can feel when that is over is enormous."
