Flair was badly injured in a 1975 plane crash but returned to the wrestling ring about three months later. He said he suffered a heart attack during his final match in 2022, and he nearly died in 2017 when his intestines ruptured.

At his lowest point, Flair admitted to consuming “20 drinks a day,” as he told ESPN Radio. The excessive drinking took a serious toll on his health, and in 2017, he suffered kidney failure, requiring hospitalization. He attributes the crisis to years of alcohol abuse.

The Question I Keep Getting Asked Is- How Am I Still Alive? After 5,000 Matches With 2,400 Of Them Being One Hour Draws And 5 90 Minute Bouts. Round Trip To Japan, 24 Hours, Only To Wrestle Three One Hour Draws. Airplane Crash, 31 Days In The ICU And 14 Days On Life Support. 35 Days In Rehab. And You Are Worried About Me Falling Down And Hitting My Eye? WTF.

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) October 30, 2026

Then in July 2025, he announced he was “cancer-free” after battling melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer due to its ability to spread to other parts of the body. That was also his second skin cancer diagnosis in three years.

Happy Halloween! WOOOOO! 🎃 https://t.co/B8yaaPCCI5

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) October 31, 2026

Flair, known for his bleach-blonde hair, zest for beautiful women, and partying lifestyle, veered very close to living his on-screen gimmick of “limousine riding, jet flying, wheeling and dealing.”

Of course, many long-time fans and those working within the professional wrestling industry know that the hard lifestyle came at a cost to Flair’s long-term health.

With a career spanning decades, Flair—born Richard Fliehr—has been a larger-than-life figure in professional wrestling since his debut in 1972.

Now, at 77, “The Nature Boy” is facing another setback. He was hospitalized in Florida after reportedly falling outside a bar in Tampa, injuring his face and possibly suffering a concussion, and was later seen wearing an eye patch.

While it remains unclear what stage Flair’s melanoma was in when he was diagnosed, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine Dr. Anna C. Pavlick says treatment prognosis remains promising, especially if caught early.

“Patients with stage one melanoma are cured by excision 90% of the time. So only about 10% of stage 1 patients will ever have the risk of that coming back. Patients with stage 2 disease have about a 75% to 80% chance of being fine,” Dr. Pavlick tells SurvivorNet.

Patients with stage 3 disease probably have a 50/50 chance of being okay, according to Dr. Pavlick. Metastatic disease also has an array of treatment options.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery: A Precise Approach to Skin Cancer Treatment

Mohs surgery is the leading method for treating skin cancer on delicate, high-risk areas like the face, ears, and nose. This meticulous technique—known as Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS)—uses microscopic guidance to remove cancerous tissue layer by layer, ensuring that only affected areas are excised while preserving as much healthy skin as possible.

WATCH: The best surgery option for melanoma.

It’s especially effective for treating common skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

During the procedure, the area is numbed with a local anesthetic. The surgeon carefully removes the visible tumor with a scalpel and immediately examines the tissue under a microscope. If cancer cells remain, the process is repeated—one layer at a time—until all cancerous cells are gone.

This methodical approach offers high cure rates, particularly when cancers are caught early, and minimizes scarring for sensitive, visible areas of the body.

Spotting Skin Cancer

You should check your body for unusual spots or moles at least once a month. Any new spots or changes in size or color demand your attention.

Changes to a mole you’ve had for a while or a new growth on your skin could be signs of melanoma, according to SurvivorNet’s experts. Though these marks are unlikely to be cancerous, you’ll want to keep an eye on them and inform your doctor about any changes you notice.

WATCH: When checking for melanoma, remember your ABCDEs

Melanoma is most likely to develop on sun-exposed skin, such as the face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, it might also develop in places that have never been exposed to the sun, such as the palms of your hands or soles of your feet, your eyes or mouth, or under your nails.

SurvivorNet experts describe melanoma symptoms as:

• A sore that doesn’t heal
• Color that spreads from the border of a spot to the skin around it
• Redness or swelling that goes beyond the area of a mole.
• Itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• A change in the way the surface of a mole looks.
• Scaliness, oozing, or blood

Tips to Protect Your Skin from Skin Cancer

As much as many of us enjoy spending lots of time in the sun during the spring and summer, we must remember that the sun can harm us. For most people, there are simple ways to significantly reduce their risk of developing skin cancer.

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman offers five ways to protect your skin from cancer. Most of her recommendations are simple to follow and could save your life.

WATCH: How to protect your skin from skin cancer.

Her simple tips include:

• Avoid the sun during peak hours, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are outside during those hours, protect yourself from harmful sun rays.
• Cover your skin and eyes. A wide-brim hat and sunglasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
• Wear an SPF of 30 or higher. Dr. Engelman also recommends reapplying every few hours or after excessive sweating or swimming.
• Get an annual skin check. You can check your skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to ensure you don’t miss anything. If you notice anything unusual between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor.
• Avoid tanning beds.

If you feel like you’re just too pale, Dr. Engelman recommends a sunless tanner. “There’s absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed,” Dr. Engelman said.

WATCH: Melanoma treatment options

People with Darker Skin Complexions Also Face Skin Cancer Risks

A rare form of melanoma called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) impacted Bob Marley. According to research published in the medical journal Neoplasia, acral melanoma “arises on the non-hair-bearing skin of the nail bed, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet” and is not linked to ultraviolet (UV) light like other skin cancers.

This rare subtype of melanoma is more common among people of Black, Hispanic/Latin, and Asian descent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Non-Hispanic Black people are often diagnosed with melanoma at later stages, and the predominant histologic types of melanomas that occur in non-Hispanic Black people have poorer survival rates than the most common types among non-Hispanic white people.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with skin cancer, you may have some questions for your doctor. SurvivorNet suggests some of the following to help you on your cancer journey.

• What type of skin cancer do I have?
• What treatment options exist for my specific cancer?
• Will insurance cover this treatment?
• Would treatment through a clinical trial make sense to me?
• What resources exist to help manage my anxiety because of this diagnosis?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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