Bruce Campbell Says He Has Five Years To Live After Cancer Diagnosis

Bruce Campbell has given an update on his battle with cancer. If you remember, back in March, Campbell had revealed the cancer diagnosis, and that it was “treatable” but not “curable”—which, in other words, seemed to imply it’s terminal.

During an interview on "The Adam Carolla Show," Campbell, best known as Ash in the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise, declined to share what type of cancer he had, but mentioned he had a life expectancy of five more years "give or take." In true Bruce Campbell fashion, he described the situation this way:

The current thing is a 5 year deal

"I've decided though, pretty specifically, to live with it, not die from it," he told Carolla. "The cancer rabbit hole is enormous. You can go into focus groups of 10,000 guys who have exactly what you have. I won't touch it with a 10 foot pole."

Instead of steeping himself in a "massive rabbit hole," Campbell says he will focus on promoting his new film "Ernie & Emma," an independent dramedy he wrote, directed, produced and stars in.

"I'm moving on. I got a movie to promote. And when I promote this movie, I have nothing. I'm free and clear when I promote this movie mentally," Campbell said. "You have to make this decision of, 'well, okay, but do I have to stop everything that I'm doing because of this?' Well, no."

Campbell is of course known for his iconic role as Ash Williams in the first three “Evil Dead” movies, but his career spans far beyond that cult classic. He brought his trademark eccentricities to films like “Bubba Ho-Tep” and “Maniac Cop,” not to mention the numerous cameos he’s made in close collaborator Sam Raimi’s movies.

I’m incredibly saddened by the news; Campbell is only 68, and I hope the five-year lifeline is extended. We need more Bruce Campbells in this world, not less. He’s not just a genre icon, but, more importantly, a wonderful human being.