Easy Rider legend Dennis Hopper fulfilled his final wish by finishing filming on his TV series Crash– and now the cancer-stricken actor is telling pals he’s ready to die, sources say.
The 73-year-old star was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September, and the disease has metastasized to his bones, insiders say.
"Dennis has come to grips with the fact that the end is likely near," a close source told The ENQUIRER.
"He knew going into the last weeks of filming Crash that he was on borrowed time. His doctors had told him they were no longer able to contain the disease, and his condition had severely worsened."
Hopper – who starred in classic flicks Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, Blue Velvet and Hoosiers – was rushed to a New York City hospital last September with severe flu-like symptoms.
By the end of October, he revealed he was battling prostate cancer.
Despite his diagnosis, the source said he was determined to complete production work on the second season of Crash, the critically acclaimed cable series based on the Oscar-winning 2004 film.
"Dennis missed three days on the set due to dehydration, but then he came back, got back on his mark and faced the camera. Really, it was some of the best acting he’s ever done," the source said.
In a last ditch bid to beat the disease, Hopper – who has a 6-year-old daughter with his fifth wife Victoria Duffy, 42 – entered an experimental treatment program at USC Medical Center, the source said.
But his condition deteriorated, and he was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles before Christmas, the source added.
Before that, Hopper managed to finish editing a 546-page book of photographs taken by him, said another source.
"Dennis calls the book his legacy, and he’s glad to see it completed," confided the source.
"He knows the end is near, but he’s still the consummate professional that he’s always been. Dennis has gotten his affairs in order and said his goodbyes."
