Chevy Chase spent 8 days in a coma, suffered memory loss after heart failure in 2021

Per People, new excerpts from the documentary have made it clear that, for instance, when  Chevy Chase says he doesn’t remember his infamous conflicts with fellow cast members on the sets of Saturday Night Live or Community these days, he’s not simply being passive aggressive: He’s talking, at least partially sincerely, about the fact that he’s been suffering from memory loss ever since the procedure. “According to the doctors, my memory would be shot from it, and that’s what’s happened here,” Chase says in the documentary, noting he’s worked to improve his “cognitive disability” after the five-week stay in the hospital. “Heart failure is what it is. I’m fine now. It’s just that it affects your memory, and the doctors have told me that, so, I have to be reminded of things.”

Chase’s family members make things sound pretty damn dire, though, with his daughter Caley Chase saying “He’s 80-something and has basically come back from the dead,” and that doctors at the time told the family to “prepare for the worst.” The 82-year-old Chase has worked only sparingly in the years since his recovery, with the new documentary—directed by Marina Zenovich, and featuring appearances from family members, long-time colleagues, and the man himself—representing his most high-profile project in years.