Jane Fonda Never Expected to Reach 30 — The One Thing About Dying That Still Scares Her

Jane Fonda gets candid about a turbulent youth and a belief she wouldn’t make it past 30, opening up about aging, mortality, and the one thing about dying that still unnerves her.

Jane Fonda just did the most Jane Fonda thing: she said the quiet part out loud. In a new sit-down with Michelle Obama, the 87-year-old Oscar winner dug into aging, mortality, a brutal childhood, and why she never expected to make it to 30. It is candid, sharp, and a little startling.

The conversation: past 30? She never thought so

Talking with Obama on her podcast, The Look, Fonda said her early years were rough, especially after her mother died when Fonda was 12. She says she spent a long time convinced she would not make it very far, even though she does not consider herself addictive. The part that jumps out is how specific she gets about what scared her back then.

"I didn't think I'd live past 30. I was sure I was gonna die... I thought I was going to die from drugs and loneliness."

Now, almost 88, she sounds genuinely surprised to still be here — and happy about it. She describes herself as more centered, whole, and complete than she has ever been, and, yes, happily single.

Aging without fear, living without regrets

Fonda says she has never been afraid of getting older, and she is not afraid of dying either. The shift for her happened around 60, when she decided to treat that milestone as the start of her final act — a moment to figure out how she actually wanted to live. The one thing that does scare her: reaching the end with unfinished business. She watched her father die full of regret; that became a line in the sand. If you do not want to die with regrets, you have to live the last stretch in a way that does not leave any.

The backstory that shaped it

There is a lot of history behind that worldview. Fonda’s mother, Frances Ford Seymour, died by suicide while receiving treatment at Craig House psychiatric hospital. Fonda later battled bulimia, which she says deeply affected her adult life. Through it all, she built a career that includes two Oscars and landmark roles in Klute and Coming Home — and she has been just as outspoken off-screen as on.

Health timeline, recent years

• 2010: Underwent treatment for breast cancer and recovered.
• 2019: Had surgery to remove cancer.
• 2022: Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Later in 2022: Told CNN she was in remission.

So yes, hearing Fonda say she once expected to die young is jarring. But the more interesting part is the practical philosophy she has carved out since: embrace aging, plan your final act, and do what you need to do now so you do not end up wishing you had.