The prospect of death isn’t something people are comfortable with. But for Terry Bradshaw, who is 78, it’s something he spends a lot of time thinking about. And those thoughts have led him to a singular conclusion – his family shouldn’t suffer when he passes away.
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“I’m getting closer to the end now. When is that? My wife says, ‘Shut up, don’t talk like that,’” Bradshaw said on an episode of The School of Greatness set to release on 5th October. “But look, when you’re 78, your brain does that for you. You’ll see. You will think more about life after death. You’ll think more about your relationships. You’ll think about things that you have, you’ll ask yourself, ‘Why am I thinking that?’ And if you really sit down and analyze yourself, you’ll find out, ‘yeah, I want to make sure that everything’s in good shape.”
Winning four Super Bowls and creating an irreplaceable NFL legacy gave Terry Bradshaw the knowledge, drive, and the financial stability to turn his life after football just as successful. From real estate investments to ventures in restaurants and the food industry, to cattle ranching, to endorsement deals, the quarterback-turned-Fox-broadcaster has amassed a massive portfolio. But as he thinks about the afterlife, he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance – especially for his wife, Tammy Bradshaw.
“My wife runs all our businesses. My wife handles all the money,” Bradshaw continued. “I want her to know every penny we have, every investment we have, every insurance policy we have, where everything goes, what everything does, so that when God calls me home, she doesn’t have to go, ‘Oh, I gotta get an attorney.’ She already knows. All that pressure’s taken away from her.
“And I think for anybody out there, make sure your house is in order. You don’t want to leave your wife scrambling and, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that was going to happen. I didn’t know this or that.’ No. Everything is there, it’s laid out. But I don’t ever question God. I don’t have a problem with cancer. The way I looked at it was, if I die, I’m going to heaven. I believe there’s a heaven.”
Now, Terry’s mindset around death might not be just because of his old age but because he’s already battled cancer twice. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in November 2021 that required surgery. The very next year, in March, he was diagnosed with the rare Merkel cell tumor (skin cancer), which also needed to be removed.
It wasn’t until October 2022 that he shared these two updates on Fox NFL Sunday in the face of criticism about his broadcasting lapses. A year later, in an interview with AARP, he revealed how the cancer had changed him.
“I’m a milder guy, I think, more involved with the kids. I think I’m a better husband,” Bradshaw told AARP. “I am traveling more now. Maybe quietly, subconsciously, I’m thinking, ‘I need to travel more in case I die.’ Going to Scotland, going to Ireland, going to France. I’ve been to Canada, I’m going to Alaska. So maybe that’s the impact right there.”
While that attitude – and the current postmortem planning – may have stemmed from those hardships, Terry Bradshaw has actually been a careful person for quite some time now.
After three failed marriages and divorces, Bradshaw became more cautious about his relationships. Terry and Tammy dated for about 13 years, but the couple never discussed the idea of getting married. In one interview, Terry even admitted he “punished her for 12 years,” making her wait until he was absolutely sure this relationship wouldn’t be like the ones in his past.
That same meticulous scrutiny now follows Terry Bradshaw’s thoughts as he ponders what happens when he’s gone. But when that time arrives – hopefully not anytime soon – Terry’s family won’t be left searching for answers; he’s made sure of that.