Michael Richards' Secret Cancer Battle: Actor Would Have 'Been Dead in 8 Months' If He Didn't Undergo Surgery

Seinfeld star Michael Richards revealed he secretly battled prostate cancer in 2018 — and he might not have survived if he didn't get surgery.

After receiving the stage 1 diagnosis after a checkup, it showed he had elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels.

“I thought, well, this is my time. I’m ready to go,” he told People in an interview published on Thursday, May 23. “But then my son came to mind just a few seconds later, and I heard myself saying, ‘I’ve got a 9-year-old, and I’d like to be around for him. Is there any way I can get a little more life going?'”

His doctor told him he should get the surgery to remove the entire prostate since the biopsy wasn't promising.

"It had to be contained quickly," he recalled. "I had to go for the full surgery. If I hadn't, I probably would have been dead in about eight months."

One of the reasons why the comedian, who played Cosmo Kramer in the comedy series, wanted to write his upcoming memoir, Entrances and Exits — which will release on June 4 — was because he felt it was time to get his story out there.

"I had over 40 journals I’d kept over the years and wanted to do a full review of my life," he said. "I’m turning 75, so maybe wanting to do that is something that comes with being my age I wanted to connect with feelings and memory. I’m surprised at how much I was able to remember.”

As OK! previously reported, Richards, who has stayed out of the spotlight over the years, touches upon when he argued with some hecklers during a stand-up set at the Laugh Factory. He later went on a racist rant against them, going on to call one of them the N-word.

Though he publicly apologized, he became a recluse.

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"I was immediately sorry the moment I said it onstage," Richards admitted. "I'm not looking for a comeback."

“The damage was inside of me,” he continued. “So I completely stepped away from show business. It was time to disappear and finally pay attention to where all of my anger was coming from. The most I could do for everybody was go home and get my s--- together.”