‘M*A*S*H’ Alum Alan Alda, 90, Reveals He Talks About Dying With Wife Arlene Regularly

Alan Alda knows the years are passing by, and he’s not afraid to confront the idea of death with his wife of almost 70 years, Arlene Alda.

The former M*A*S*H actor, 90, appeared alongside fellow celebrities Joy Behar and Roger Rosenblatt at an event at New York City’s 92NY on Thursday, May 21, where he spoke surprisingly candidly about both his death and his wife’s death, revealing they often chat about what they’ll do when the other passes.

“One time, we picked Carl Reiner up to take him someplace to dinner and as we were driving, Carl’s wife had just died and we told him how Arlene and I talk all the time about what we’d do [about] who died first,” Alda said, per People.

“If I died first, what would her life be like? If she died first, what would I do? And just around then, I drove over to the divider of Sunset Boulevard. A little bit of sidewalk,” he added. “Just bounced away. And Carl said, ‘You know the way you drive, you don’t have to worry.’”

Alda married Arlene when he was 21 years old in 1957 after a chance meeting at a party. In a post on X from 2021, the actor confirmed that their unusual meeting involved bonding over being the only two willing to eat off the floor.

“We did eat the rum cake off the floor and were inseparable after that,” he wrote. “But I was captivated by her even earlier in the meal when I heard her at the end of the table laughing at my jokes. She had me at Ha.”