William Shatner Stuns Fans With Surprise New Career Move At 95 — After Slamming Death Rumors
William Shatner has announced a shock new career ventre at the age of 95.
July 17 2026, Published 9:53 p.m. ET
William Shatner has announced a shock new career twist — he's becoming a heavy metal star at 95.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Star Trek icon will perform with his newly formed band The *uckers at Riot Fest in Chicago.
Boldly Going In A New Direction
The 'Star Trek' icon is becoming a heavy metal star.
He’ll take to the stage at Douglass Park on September 20, after the punk rock festival spent more than a decade trying to get him to perform.
Riot Fest posted that Chicago should rename a boat after Shatner so he could "captain a ship again," referring to his role as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek.
The festival also posted a video of Shatner confirming the news.
He said: "Riot Fest fans, Shatner here.
"I've been thinking about all those letters you sent me, and I decided you’re such big fans of mine that I’m going to debut my heavy metal record at Riot Fest and I hope you’ll be there, I hope I’m there.
"I hope you have my rider, and yes, don’t forget my bowl of sauerkraut, if you please."
'This Is An Event You'll Be Telling Your Grandchildren About'
Shatner predicts his performance will live long in the memory.
He posted a photo of himself brandishing a guitar to promote his performance.
Shatner wrote: "I am going to be doing a live performance of my new live heavy metal spectacle at Douglas Park in Chicago on Sunday, August 20, 2026.
"This is an event you definitely will be telling your grandchildren about! I hope to see you there."
Festival founder Mike "Riot Mike" Petryshyn said: "After years of persistently, and perhaps annoyingly, writing letters to William Shatner about performing at Riot Fest, it appears that he was finally compelled.
"I, for one, cannot wait to see Shatner get heavy. But that Shatner Rider… wasn't expecting that today."
Anger Over Fake Death Reports
Shatner slammed a Facebook group for claiming he was dead.
Shatner said he was looking forward to the show.
He said in a statement: "I've always believed that music, like space, is about exploration. Riot Fest is exactly the kind of place where anything can happen. We’re bringing volume, intensity, and a few surprises. I can't wait to share this experience with the fans."
Her move into heavy metal comes three months after Shatner publicly slammed a Facebook group for claiming he was dying of cancer, alongside AI images of him in a hospital.
"There is a page on Facebook that is using AI to create horrible fake news stories about me," he wrote while calling out The Beanstalk Functions Group for creating "stories that say I have stage 4 brain cancer, was in some kind of fight with Erika Kirk, and that I’m dying."
He continued: "All their stories are monetized. Most of the stories use an AI image of me."
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The veteran star hit out at Facebook for failing to remove the post.
The former Rescue 911 host claimed that despite a request to move the content, Facebook would "not remove the page."
He also said he'd been in contact with the group's "CEO" via X, where he'd publicly requested they remove it.
"None of these stories are true, but they apparently seem genuine enough for fans to repost them across social media and send messages of support to me and my family, all while the culprits behind the account make money," the actor wrote.
He concluded: "If you see a bizarre story about me, unless you see it posted on one of my verified accounts, take it with a grain of salt."
