Orlando Bloom Shares Old Photo, Recalls 'Narrowly Escaping Death' During Spine-Crushing Fall

Orlando Bloom is looking back at a life-threatening fall that he suffered more than two decades ago.

The "Lord of the Rings" star took to Instagram Friday to reflect on his second chance at life following a 1998 fall that "crushed" his spine.

Bloom, 44, shared a throwback photo taken just three months after the near-fatal accident, showing him riding a bike while wearing a brace and smiling. In the post, he also included a recent picture of himself riding down a tree-lined road, this time wearing a cycling jersey, bike shorts and a helmet.

"That's me in my back brace circa 1998 about 3 months after I fell 3 floors and crushed my spine, narrowly escaping death and paralysis…" Bloom wrote in the caption, adding, "grateful every day for my limbs that allow me to push my limits and live life on my edge (safer now)."

Bloom's ex-wife Miranda Kerr commented on his post, writing, "So proud of you" with a red heart emoji. His fiancée, Katy Perry, wrote, "I love you."

A number of fans also left encouraging comments on his post.

"What an amazing recovery," one wrote, adding a folded hands emoji.

"So glad you didn’t get hurt worse that day. Glad you're still going strong," another commented.

"You had incredible strength and determination," a third added.

Bloom previously opened up about the accident in his 2005 interview with GQ, where he admitted that it changed his perspective about life and death.

The actor recalled that the incident happened while he was climbing a rooftop terrace with his friends and a drainpipe he scaled collapsed, causing him to fall three stories.

"Until then, I didn't have a healthy appreciation for life and death - that we're not invincible," Bloom told the outlet. "And for four days, I faced the idea of living in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. I went to some dark places in my mind. I realized, I'm either going to walk again or I'm not."

He added, "But that accident has informed everything in my life. Until you're close to losing it, you don't realize. I used to ride motorbikes and drive cars like everything was a racetrack; it was ridiculous. It wasn't because I thought it was cool; it was just because I loved living on the edge. But I've chilled."