“The Dukes Of Hazzard” star John Schneider was devastated earlier this year when his beloved wife Alicia Allain passed away at the age of 53 after a battle with breast cancer. Now, Schneider is speaking out to credit his strong Christian faith with helping him to get through this tragedy.
“Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schneider sat down with Inside Edition to talk about the recent death of his beloved wife, Alicia, from breast cancer. “I think empty is the perfect word to describe how you feel when you are the remaining spouse.” pic.twitter.com/JpGcari5w4
— Inside Edition (@InsideEdition) September 6, 2023
Schneider ‘Would Have Jumped Off A Bridge’ Without His Faith
“If it weren’t for my faith, if it weren’t for my belief, absolute belief that God is real. Heaven is real,” Schneider, 63, told Fox News. “The promise of God that Alicia and I will see each other again forever. If it weren’t for that, I think I would have jumped off a bridge.”
“But I believe because my grandmother instilled it in me with one very brief conversation,” he continued. “I was about 8 years old, and she said, ‘Johnny, one of these days, I’m not going to be here anymore, but don’t worry, I’ll be with Jesus and you will see me again.'”
Schneider went on to explain that before he was born, his mother Shirley Conklin lost her first child John to lung failure back in 1957.
“My mother has passed away,” he said. “Our belief was that as soon as she gets to heaven, she’ll see Johnny Michael again. So, this has been instilled in me for my whole life. But just that simply when you die, you will see those that you love again.”
“That’s pretty simple. I’m pretty simple, so I take that at face value,” he added. “So, when I tell people that, I believe immediately after my last breath here will be my first breath there. And it will be Alicia’s hand I’ll be holding.”
John Schneider Shares the 'Lie I Had to Tell' in His Last Words to Wife Alicia Before Her Death (Exclusive) pic.twitter.com/RW12EJVQ5h
— People (@people) August 31, 2023
Related: ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider Breaks Down As He Honors Late Wife Months After Her Death
Schneider Trusts God
In the months since Allain passed away, Schneider has focused on trusting in God that he will be reunited with her someday in Heaven.
“I look forward to that day,” he stated. “And I tell people, you know, I can’t wait to get there, but I will. I will wait. I also believe jumping off a bridge is a sin that would keep me from actually seeing Alicia again.”
“So, I won’t do that. I absolutely won’t do that. But I understand the level of grief, sadly, that people go through. So, they need this kind of encouragement,” he continued. “We need this kind of encouragement and assurance that it’s all real.”
Schneider then sent a message to others who are grieving their own loved ones.
“I want people who are grieving to know that this is a temporary situation,” he said. “Your love has been put on pause. Your love has not been stopped. Your love has not been discarded. It has been put on pause. Be patient. You’ll get there, and they will be waiting.”
John Schneider, who starred as Bo Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard, is opening up about losing his wife, Alicia Allain Schneider, to breast cancer.
Full story: https://t.co/ty2BnLQpga pic.twitter.com/tjfLthImt6
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) September 6, 2023
Related: ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider Struggling After Wife Dies At 53
Schneider Mourns Allain
When Schneider announced Allain’s death on social media back in February, he said that she was “pain free, living in her new body alongside Jesus.”
Back in July, Schneider told Daily Mail that he still communicates with Allain, explaining that “every day I write a letter to heaven.”
“I did not lose her. I know where she is and one of these days — if I do not screw it up — I will meet her there. It is up to me now,” he said at the time. “She went home in February this year. It’s hard. There is nothing to prepare you for it.”
I’ve just gotten word that @John_Schneider wife, Alicia, passed away today. I didn’t get any details, but I don’t need any to be aware of the pain + loss that John’s dealing with. My thoughts and prayers are with him, along with the thoughts and prayers of the entire Dukes nation pic.twitter.com/dLYQ8Wid9n
— Tom Wopat (@wopatofficial) February 22, 2023
Our hearts go out for Schneider, as this has clearly been a very difficult year for him. Please join us in saying a prayer for Schneider that he is able to continue leaning on his faith as he mourns his beloved wife.
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