Secrets of Steve McQueen's Final Years Revealed

The secrets of Steve McQueen's final years are revealed in a new book commemorating the 40th anniversary of his death. The actor died on Nov. 7, 1980, at age 50. Before his passing, there were things McQueen wanted to share with his fans but did not get the chance to do so. Now Marshall Terrill, who authored "Steve McQueen: In His Own Words," is finally bringing it all to light.

McQueen kickstarted his career in the 1950s and soon became a Hollywood icon, but, despite the fame, there was something missing. The star filled that emptiness with faith, Terrill explained in an interview with Fox News. His accounts are based on dozens of interviews, personal letters, and reflections from audiotapes.

"At the end of his life, he met a pilot named Sammy Mason, who was probably 10-15 years older than Steve," Terrill explained. "However, Sammy had a special presence about him. One day, Steve finally said, 'There's something different about you. I can't put my finger on it.' Sammy said, 'Well Steve, I'm a born-again Christian.' And from that point on, Steve wanted to emulate him."

Wanting to know more about Christianity, McQueen asked Mason if he could accompany him to church. It was here that he met pastor Leonard DeWitt.

"Leonard said, 'Well Steve, I only have one question for you,'" Terrill said. "[Steve] goes, 'You want to know if I'm a born-again Christian?' Leonard replied, 'Yes, Steve, that's all that really matters to me.' And then Steve said, 'Yes. Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when you asked everyone to bow their heads and accept Jesus Christ? Well, I closed my eyes and did that.'"

McQueen became a born-again Christian nearly six months before he was officially diagnosed with metastasis, a rare, fatal form of lung cancer, in June 1979, according to Fox News. After he learned about the disease, McQueen reached out to evangelist Billy Graham.

"Steve McQueen knew he was dying," Terrill said. "So he requested Billy Graham to come to see him. And so Billy did, right before Steve McQueen left to go to Mexico for his last operation. They were going to pray together when Steve said, 'I don't have my Bible.'"

Terrill explained that Graham gave McQueen his own Bible.

"It became Steve's prized possession," he said. "To Steve, like many people, Billy Graham was perhaps the closest thing that you could probably get to God on Earth. I think Steve wanted to tap on his knowledge. Steve wanted to share testimony with him and what Christ did for him."

McQueen died of cardiac arrest from widespread metastasis less than a year after his diagnosis. It is believed he contracted the disease during his time in the Marines (1947-1950), when he was removing asbestos from ships. He died after having surgery to remove multiple tumors. McQueen was holding Graham's Bible when he was found dead.

Terrill said he hoped his book would help portray McQueen's final years in a positive light.

"Before cancer, McQueen's outlook on life was very cynical," he said. "I think Christianity gave him comfort. He was going to announce that he was a Christian but he never got that opportunity. But he did promise that if he got well, he was going to make that announcement. He revealed that his body is gone, it's broken, but his spirit isn't broken and his heart isn't broken. I think that says it all."