While filming
You Only Live Twice (1967), Johnny was leaning out of a helicopter to get a
better shot. Another helicopter was caught in a gust of wind and was
blown closer. The rotor blade cut Johnny's leg which had to be
amputated. Three years later, he was filming
Catch-22 (1970) over the Gulf of
Mexico when another plane passed close by. He was sucked out of the
open doorway and fell 2,000 feet to his death. He had always refused to
wear a safety harness and with his artificial leg wasn't as agile as he
used to be.