After decades in the spotlight as a late-night television icon, 74-year-old Jay Leno is now preparing for the final chapters of his life.
A longtime car enthusiast, Leno is making end-of-life plans and intends to leave a significant portion of his wealth to a museum dedicated to automobiles—a lifelong passion that nearly cost him his life on two occasions. After stepping away from his successful late-night hosting career, he launched *Jay Leno’s Garage*, a web series that aired on NBC.com from 2015 to 2022. The show, now continuing on YouTube with over 3.7 million subscribers, allows Leno to share his love of classic cars and motorcycles with fans worldwide.
In November 2022, that passion turned dangerous when a fire broke out while Leno was working on a car in his Burbank, California garage. He sustained severe burns from a gasoline fire, including third-degree injuries to his face, and later required reconstructive surgery to replace his left ear. “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire,” Leno told *Variety* at the time. “I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.”
Tragically, just two months after the fire, Leno was involved in a motorcycle accident, resulting in a broken collarbone, two fractured ribs, and two cracked kneecaps.
Despite the physical toll of aging, serious accidents, and health issues like high cholesterol, one constant in Leno’s life remains: his enduring love for his wife, Mavis, whom he married in 1980. Friends and fans note that he continues to “treat Mavis like gold.”