EXCLUSIVE: Ted Danson's Death Vow Revealed — 'Cheers' Icon, 76, Declares He's Determined to Keep Going Until He Drops... as He Opens Up About 'Hurt, Sadness and Grief'

Cheers legend Ted Danson toasts life each day and has vowed to wring every single ounce of pleasure out of his existence until he drops dead.

The telly star wants to be working until his final days but still acknowledges life can be tinged with "hurt, sadness and grief", RadarOnline.com can reveal.

"This is your life. You get to live right up until you don't live," says Danson, who plays a retired professor who goes undercover at a nursing home in his new show A Man on the Inside.

"It's your life. It's such a gift. Explore it and be excited about it. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it's sad. Yes, there's grief. Yes, there's all of that. But embrace it."

"I can't imagine retiring," says Ted, 76. "I really enjoy what I'm doing. I'm sure there'll be a time when I should gracefully bow out, but that ain't now.

"People think there's a shelf life to creativity and contributing to life. There isn't."

Between his acting career, a new podcast and his off-screen roles, as husband, father and grandfather, he married actress Mary Steenburgen, 71, in 1995, and they have four kids and four grandkids between them, Danson is looking forward to a busy future.

"Life doesn't end until it ends, so keep going." he insists. "The way you engage life is an inspiration to those younger."

Danson initially thought he wasn't right for his latest role, but his wife set him straight.

He adds: "I'm married to Mary Steenburgen, so whenever I become self-deprecating, full of doubt, which I do on a regular basis, she lovingly goes, 'Snap out of it,' and kind of forces me out the door. But part of acting is also always starting off at zero. It's a pretty good place to start any project."

And of the lessons he's learned from the show, he says: "My eldest daughter once said, 'Your love is kind of hit-and-run. I know you love me, but you kind of come in, love on me, and then go'.

"How we love people and express our love sometimes gets shaded by our own insecurities or desire to control. I've had to grow with that, with my kids and with Mary. I'm constantly being challenged to be more real, more present."

And his days off now mean quality family time.

Danson adds: "Whenever we have the opportunity to sit down at a table with our extended family, our children and now their children, our grandchildren, it is heaven on earth There's not a better date in the world than having dinner with all of them. "And so far they're willing to include us in their lives, which is a real blessing. How could they not?"

But date nights with his wife and strictly "early bird specials".

Danson finishes with: "Date nights are, at my age, early bird specials. But the most fun is the early mornings, 4:30 in the morning, coffee in bed, playing Wordle, Connections and Spelling Bee, talking and laughing and sharing.

"Even if she's working in a different time zone, we will wake up in time to be able to play our games and have coffee over the phone."

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