William Shatner and Daughter Melanie Open Up About Battling Stage 4 Cancer Together

In a new interview with People magazine, 95-year-old William Shatner and his 61-year-old daughter, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, revealed they both battled stage 4 cancer at the same time. Melanie shared that she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2022 after finding a lump in her breast. She underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and 30 radiation therapy sessions.

Despite her own tough treatment, Melanie was more worried about her father. A year later, William was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma that had spread to his lungs and brain. “I vividly remember thinking, ‘I don’t have the strength to take care of myself and lose my father at the same time,’” she said.

William noticed a lump on his cheek as Melanie was nearing the end of her treatment. He had surgery to remove the tumor and then two years of immunotherapy for the cancer in his lungs and brain. Through it all, they supported each other. Melanie said William “kept working and moving forward,” and when he was home, she and her husband would bring him dinner and watch movies so he wouldn’t feel alone.

William also eased her worries about the cost of treatment, telling her, “I don’t want you to worry. Just send me the bills.” A year later, he joked, “You’ve got to get well. We’re going to be in the poorhouse!”

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending: both William and Melanie are now cancer-free.