Whoopi Goldberg doing 'OK' after health scare: 'I'm not dead'

March 8 (UPI) -- Whoopi Goldberg says she's doing "OK" in the wake of her recent health scare.

The 63-year-old actress and television personality gave an update via video message Friday on The View after going septic during a case of pneumonia and coming "very close" to dying.

"I'm up and moving around -- not as fast as I'd like to be -- but I am okay. I'm not dead," Goldberg told viewers.

"I had pneumonia and I was septic," she confirmed. "Pneumonia in both lungs, which meant there was fluid -- there was all kinds of stuff going on. And yes, I came very, very close to leaving the earth. Good news -- I didn't."

Goldberg thanked viewers, her fans and some unlikely supporters for their well-wishes during her illness.

"Thank you for all of your good wishes, all of the wonderful things that people have been saying. Even people that are not, like, huge fans of mine have actually said nice things about me," she said. "Thank you for everything."

Goldberg, who joined The View as a permanent co-host in Season 11, hasn't appeared on the show since Feb. 6. Her co-host Joy Behar addressed her absence during the show's Feb. 20 episode.

"She's not feeling well," Behar said. "She's actually recovering from pneumonia. I saw her last night and she's very funny still, and we had big laughs. She's getting there, she's on the mend."