‘Jaws' star Richard Dreyfuss, 77, reveals grim diagnosis as he drops out of SharkCon: ‘I'm in a lot of pain'

Sky News AU

13-07-2025

Richard Dreyfuss is too sick to attend SharkCon this year.
The 'Jaws' actor, 77, gave a grim update on his health in a clip from SharkCon's Instagram page shared over the weekend.
'Hello fellow cons,' Dreyfuss said from a hospital bed with a 'Jaws' blanket covering him. 'I am very, very sorry to tell you that I've been diagnosed with, viral, er…What is it?'
'Bronchitis,' Dreyfuss' wife, Svetlana Erokhin, answered off-screen.
Bronchitis occurs when the airways leading to the lungs get inflamed and fill with mucus, according to Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, runny nose and fatigue.
Dreyfuss continued: 'I've been told by my doctors I cannot fly and I would have to fly five hours to get there. I'm terribly sorry because I had planned to be there and I had been looking forward to it, but I am unable to do so.'
'I don't want to get anyone else sick,' the actor added, 'and I don't want to get sicker myself.'
'I feel terrible about not showing up and I feel worse about exposing you to this apparently very viral illness,' Dreyfuss went on. 'But there will be other times and I will make it my business to show up.'
The Hollywood icon gave his best wishes to fans attending SharkCon in Tampa, Florida this weekend, before adding with a laugh, 'I want you all to feel very sorry for me, and very sorry for yourselves.'
'I'm in a lot of pain and that has to come first, my health,' he stated. 'I feel very good about having the time and enough health.'
'And such great fans!' added Erokhin, as Dreyfuss agreed, 'And such great fans.'
'We love you, we miss you all and we will see you soon,' Erokhin also said.
Dreyfuss confirmed his wife was the person talking off-camera. 'She's right, she knows how to do this,' he said. 'So good luck, happy health, happy con – bye!'
SharkCon wrote in the video's caption, 'All prepaid autographs and photo ops will automatically be refunded. There is no reason to reach out. It will take 5-10 business days plus what your bank takes for them to be processed. We are so sorry for any inconvenience. Thank you.'
Fans showed support for Dreyfuss in the comments section.
'We are all praying for you!' one fan wrote.
'get well soon,' another fan said.
'Please get better soon,' someone else wrote.
A fourth fan commented, 'Your health is most important. Don't feel bad. Get better quickly!'
Dreyfuss starred in 'Jaws' alongside Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary and Murray Hamilton. Most of the cast, including Scheider and Shaw, have passed away.
The Steven Spielberg shark movie recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a National Geographic documentary 'Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story' directed by Laurent Bouzereau.
Dreyfuss is still acting at age 77. He was recently in the action thriller 'Into the Deep' and will star in the upcoming Marlon Brando biopic led by Billy Zane.
Originally published as 'Jaws' star Richard Dreyfuss, 77, reveals grim diagnosis as he drops out of SharkCon: 'I'm in a lot of pain'