Richard Dreyfuss will not be attending SharkCon this year due to health-related reasons. The 77-year-old actor, best known for his role in Jaws, shared a health update in a video posted to SharkCon’s Instagram over the weekend.
“Hello fellow cons,” Dreyfuss said in the clip, speaking from a hospital bed with a Jaws-themed blanket pulled over him. “I am very, very sorry to tell you that I’ve been diagnosed with, viral, er… What is it?”
“Bronchitis,” his wife Svetlana Erokhin answered from off-camera.
What happens to someone suffering from bronchitis
Bronchitis happens when the airways in the lungs get inflamed and filled with mucus. It can cause symptoms like fever, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a runny nose.
Dreyfuss went on to explain, “I’ve been told by my doctors I cannot fly and I would have to fly five hours to get there. I’m terribly sorry because I had planned to be there and I had been looking forward to it, but I am unable to do so.”
{{/usCountry}}Dreyfuss went on to explain, “I’ve been told by my doctors I cannot fly and I would have to fly five hours to get there. I’m terribly sorry because I had planned to be there and I had been looking forward to it, but I am unable to do so.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “I don’t want to get anyone else sick and I don’t want to get sicker myself.”
Richard Dreyfuss suffering from a ‘very viral illness’
He continued, “I feel terrible about not showing up and I feel worse about exposing you to this apparently very viral illness. But there will be other times and I will make it my business to show up.”
Before signing off, he sent a heartfelt message to fans in Tampa, Florida, “I want you all to feel very sorry for me, and very sorry for yourselves," he said with a laugh.
He added, “I’m in a lot of pain and that has to come first, my health. I feel very good about having the time and enough health.”
His wife then added, “And such great fans!” Dreyfuss echoed, “And such great fans.”
Erokhin said, “We love you, we miss you all and we will see you soon.” Dreyfuss confirmed she was the one talking off-camera.
“She’s right, she knows how to do this,” he added. “So good luck, happy health, happy con – bye!”
SharkCon talks about refund process
SharkCon posted in the caption that all prepaid autographs and photo ops will be refunded automatically. “There is no reason to reach out. It will take 5-10 business days plus what your bank takes for them to be processed. We are so sorry for any inconvenience. Thank you.”
The film recently marked its 50th anniversary with the National Geographic documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, directed by Laurent Bouzereau.
Even at 77, Dreyfuss is still active in Hollywood. He recently appeared in the action thriller Into the Deep and is set to star in an upcoming Marlon Brando biopic alongside Billy Zane.