25.09.2025 13:40
Famous television personality and media mogul Acun Ilıcalı shared moments when he faced death in motorcycle accidents on the world-renowned ABTalks program. Ilıcalı, who said, "I fainted at the wheel, and my friend woke me up by punching me," also sincerely shared the toughest year he experienced at Fenerbahçe and the final message he would leave for his daughters on his deathbed.
Acun Ilıcalı was a guest on ABTalks, one of the most-watched YouTube programs in the world. The program, hosted by Anas Bukhash, has previously featured globally renowned names such as Will Smith, Priyanka Chopra, Lewis Hamilton, Zinedine Zidane, and Jessica Alba. In the interview, Ilıcalı candidly shared the life-threatening moments he experienced in motorcycle accidents, his challenging days at Fenerbahçe, and the last message he wanted to leave for his daughters on his deathbed.
Acun Ilıcalı recounted one of the most dangerous moments he experienced for his passion for motorcycles. During a motorcycle trip from Istanbul to Bodrum with his friend Esat, he nearly fainted at the wheel due to sleep deprivation, saying, "It was around 6 or 7 in the morning. I started to nod off because of my sleepiness. Esat noticed and punched me in the stomach. At that moment, I was face to face with death. I said, 'I would prefer you to kill me, otherwise we will be disabled for life.' We immediately pulled over. I had completely lost consciousness."
Ilıcalı also shared that they slept on the carpet with their helmets on during the morning prayer at a mosque where they took a break on the road, saying, "The carpet was like therapy. When I woke up, everyone was in prostration. I will never forget that moment."
SERIOUS ACCIDENTS, GREAT LOSSES Emphasizing the heavy price of his love for motorcycles, Ilıcalı said, "When you look at it this way, I have had very serious accidents too. And of course, I lost my closest ones. My grandfather and grandmother also died in a car accident. Four years before I lost my mother and father. This was my first time my family had a traffic accident. At that time, it really hurt me a lot. I think I was 16 or 17 years old. When you face such a situation, you really understand the value of people when you lose them at an early age. This was the first."
Even after the accidents that broke his neck, required plates in his arms, and caused him to lose a close friend, he did not give up his love for motorcycles.
HE STILL HAS MORE THAN 10 MOTORCYCLES TODAY Ilıcalı expressed that he cannot imagine a life without motorcycles, explaining his collection in his garage, "I still have about 10 motorcycles. Two are in Miami, three in the Dominican Republic, two in Çeşme, and three or four in Istanbul. So I still can't do without motorcycles."
THE HARDEST YEAR OF HIS LIFE AT FENERBAHÇE Ilıcalı described his time as vice president of Fenerbahçe, saying, "I became the vice president of the Fenerbahçe club last summer. It is a very big club. One of the biggest clubs in the world. Holding such an important position brings serious responsibilities. After January, the matches started, and at the same time, the filming of 'Survivor' was ongoing. Between Hull City, Fenerbahçe, and the Dominican Republic, it was the hardest year of my life. This was the toughest period of my career."
LAST MESSAGE TO HIS DAUGHTERS ON HIS DEATHBED Acun Ilıcalı also shared his most emotional words about his daughters. In response to the question posed to him during the interview, "On your deathbed, with only a few minutes left, what would you like to say to your daughters and loved ones?" he replied:
"My last advice to them is to be good people. To do good things. The world is a dirty place, getting dirtier every day. We were more innocent in our childhood, now it has become more corrupt. With social media and other factors, it has become chaotic. In this environment, being able to remain innocent is a great achievement. I want my daughters to remain innocent. I would like to tell them: Be innocent and good."