You never know what’s going to happen when a celebrity writes a book. Some celebrity biographies are dishy, others are strange, and still more are strangely impersonal. Now Matthew McConaughey is taking a gander at the genre with a new book that will most definitely feature at least one personal and memorable story: That time his dad died during sex.
If you know anything about Matthew McConaughey, it’s that he takes his family and his values seriously. His new book Greenlights does touch on his parents’ tumultuous but often loving relationship, with McConaughey admitting that they “were at times violent” and “that was how they communicated." He also noted that they were married to each other three times and divorced twice before his dad passed away in 1992... apparently while having sex with his mother:
I got a call from my Mom. ‘Your dad died.’ My knees buckled. I couldn’t believe it. He was my dad. Nobody or nothing could kill him. Except mom. He’d always told me and my brothers, ‘Boys, when I go, I’m gonna be makin’ love to your mother.’ And that’s what happened. He had a heart attack when he climaxed.
In an excerpt from the book Greenlights (via People), Matthew McConaughey was wide open (please don’t make a “your mom” joke) about his parents’ emotional relationship with one another. McConaughey also said in the interview with the outlet that his parents were often like “the Pacific Ocean in a storm,” but they were always there for him growing up and the bad moments were “superseded by the love.” In fact, he was only born after they’d married for the third time, and his relationship growing up put him in the eye of that storm in some ways, though he mentions his parents' ability to be tough but loving at the same time.
Ultimately, Matthew McConaughey’s dad, James McConaughey, died in Texas in 1992. His mother, Mary Kathlene “Kay” McCabe, is still around and has attended a slew of red carpets with the actor. McConaughey has previously said she also visits him on sets and jokes about wanting to be in the movies as well.
Matthew McConaughey also spoke to People TV about his goal with Greenlights being full of words that make you go “only McConaughey could have wrote that,” and I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what he accomplished with the story above. We won’t have too long to wait and see what other intriguing tidbits from the actor’s life are in the book. It hits shelves on October 20.
His own family life is a little different than the one he grew up in. He’s married Camila Alves and the two share three children together. Family life has been important to McConaughey in quarantine as he says his kids have been forced to learn their way “out of their boredom” and he’s also spent time helping essential workers in recent months. Next up, the actor is set to be in Sing 2, though we'll keep you updated as soon as he's finished promoting Greenlights and hopefully jumps more deeply back onto the acting circuit.
