William Shatner opens up about loneliness saying he doesn’t ‘have a friend left and will die alone’

Legendary Star Trek actor William Shatner, best known for his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk, has opened up about a deeply personal struggle - loneliness.

At 93 years old, the actor revealed in a recent interview that he doesn’t have a real friend left and fears he will die alone.

In a candid chat with SFX Magazine (via Daily Star), Shatner reflected on how growing older has reshaped his perspective on relationships.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that everybody is lonely,” he said.

“When you get older, you think, ‘My God… all those people I knew that I thought were friends are dead.’”

Shatner’s words paint a heartbreaking picture of isolation, something that might seem surprising coming from a man who has spent more than seven decades in the spotlight.

From his groundbreaking work in Star Trek to roles in The Brothers Karamazov (1958), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and The Intruder (1962), Shatner has long been regarded as larger-than-life.

“I’m alone – I’m going to die alone,” he confessed, adding that most people choose to distract themselves from this reality.

“You ignore it, you fill it [life] with wine, women, or song.”

Shatner admitted that even during his younger years, he often felt like an outsider, struggling to fit in with social groups.

“I think of all the meals I ate alone, and theatre companies when I was alone,” he shared.

“I’d drink an odd beer, but the [other] actors would get drunk and be in a haze the next day.”

He explained that he avoided drinking heavily, which made it harder to connect with others.

“I didn’t do that – I was not with the drinking crowd, but I’d wonder, ‘What are they doing? They’re drinking and laughing.’ But I wasn’t ready to drop that mask of ‘I don’t care.’”

The actor also questioned the depth of many friendships he encountered over the years, adding, “If that’s what friendship is, I don’t want to do that – it’s a waste of my time.”

Shatner’s reflections might come as a shock to fans who’ve admired him for his commanding on-screen presence and adventurous persona.

In 2021, he even made headlines as the oldest person to travel to space, flying aboard Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket at the age of 90.

His personal life has had its ups and downs, including four marriages, the most recent of which ended in divorce in 2020.