Whoopi Goldberg 'OK' after battling pneumonia, sepsis: 'I came very, very close' to death

Erin Jensen
Updated
"I am up and moving around, not as fast as I'd like to be. But I am OK, not dead," Whoopi Goldberg said, providing an update on her pneumonia battle.

Whoopi Goldberg shed some light on her recent health struggles, which have caused her to be absent from "The View" for several weeks.

"I am up and moving around, not as fast as I'd like to be. But I am OK, not dead," the 63-year-old comedian/actress said in a video shared Friday.

She explained: "I had pneumonia, and I was septic. Pneumonia in both lungs, which meant there's fluid, there was all kinds of stuff going on."

Goldberg said the situation was very serious. "Yes, I came very, very close to leaving the Earth. Good news: I didn't."

Goldberg thanked her well-wishers and spoke directly to her talk show co-hosts: Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Meghan McCain and Abby Huntsman.

"Ladies, I cannot wait to see y'all. This has been interesting, and I'll tell you about it when we're all at the table," she said. "To everybody, see you soon."

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Fans rejoiced at the news.

"So happy you’re on the mend and will return soon... You’ve been missed," a person tweeted. "There is a definite void when you’re not there ."

"Sending prayers for good health," wrote another Twitter user. "Can’t wait to see you back at the table"

Goldberg's extended absence from "The View" sparked many fan theories: Was she a contestant on "The Masked Singer"? Did she walk away from the show entirely? Last month, Behar debunked the rumors, including the theory that she was prepping to host the Oscars, reaffirming Goldberg was battling pneumonia.

Behar quipped that Goldberg was on "maternity leave," before getting serious.

"She's actually recovering from pneumonia. That's what she had. It's a serious thing," Behar said on Feb. 20. "She's not really even well enough to host this show right now, much less the Oscars. I saw her last night and she's very funny still and we had big laughs. She's getting there."

Contributing: Cydney Henderson

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Whoopi Goldberg 'OK' after battling pneumonia, sepsis: 'I came very, very close' to death