Seinfeld Star Michael Richards Reveals Prostate Cancer Battle (Exclusive) [Video]

Seinfeld actor Michael Richards, 74, is opening up about a health scare that he says could have been the end for him.

In his upcoming memoir Entrances and Exits (out June 4) he writes about being diagnosed with prostate cancer in the summer of 2018, after a routine checkup showed high PSA levels. He was diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer.

“I thought. well, this is my time. I’m ready to go,” he tells PEOPLE, of receiving the news. “But then my son came to mind just a few seconds later and I heard myself saying, “I’ve got a 9-year-old and I’d like to be around for him. Is there any way I can get a little more life going?”

His doctor recommended surgery to remove the entire prostate after the biopsy didn’t look good.

“It had to be contained quickly,” he says. “I had …