Kathleen Turner's Pain-Filled Last Days: 'Body Heat' Actress, 70, Using Wheelchair and Cane After Sad Years as Alcoholic

Turner was spotted in a rare public outing on Tuesday in Manhattan.

The 70-year-old donned a casual fit and was dressed in a black shirt, black pants, a gray sweater and black sneakers. She used a cane as she got out of a vehicle and headed inside an office building.

Later, she was seen leaving the building in a wheelchair.

The sighting came after Turner had to abruptly exit the stage during a performance of A Little Night Music after she reportedly fell ill.

Turner has battled health issues for decades. During the height of her career in the early 90s, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that impacts the joints and organs.

In 1993, while filming the dark comedy Serial Mom, her feet became so swollen they wouldn't fit in her shoes. It was then that she realized something was seriously wrong.

She recalled: "I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t hold a glass. The only way I could go up and down stairs was on my butt, pushing myself.

"The pain is very bad because there's no way to sit, lie or stand that allows you to escape it. People don't understand because it's not life-threatening. It will not kill me, but it kills your life.

In the wake of her diagnosis, she scaled back her career and took on supporting roles instead of leading gigs. Still, she continued to work.

Turned confessed: "Yeah, but I wouldn't accept it. I am a very stubborn woman. I got back to full strength, as full as I would ever be again. They told me I would be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Now, that was almost 30 years ago. And I look at what I’ve done in 30 years and I think: 'Well, go to hell!'"

As years went on, Turner became to drink more heavily and more frequently to combat the pain from her illness.

While she never drank on the job, she admitted: "It was incredibly stupid.

"I had this thing in my head where I thought: 'I'm not taking pain pills – they are addictive and dangerous.' But it was OK to have that second or third vodka."

After years of carrying on like that, she finally realized she needed help.

Then-68-year-old Turner recalled: "I thought: 'I am wasting my entire day with my daughter, with my husband, because I'd close myself down and drink.'"

She checked into rehab in 2002, where she met others struggling with substance abuse.

Turner said: "I couldn't see that in myself at all. I thought: 'OK, it's not me. I'm not an alcoholic, but I am an abuser. So I stopped drinking for a couple of years.

"I don’t imagine I’ll ever drink like that again. But then I don’t have that amount of pain, either."

Though her rheumatoid arthritis was in remission as of 2023, she still suffered from the occasional flare-ups.