‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider Recounts the ‘Lie I Had to Tell’ in His Final

It’s been a rough year for actor and musician John Schneider.

The former “Dukes of Hazzard” star has been struggling with grief since his wife, Alicia, died Feb. 23 after a battle with cancer. She was 53.

Schneider recently spoke to People about his last words to his wife just before she died. He admitted to stretching the truth while they were saying their goodbyes.

“I of course told her it was OK,” he told the entertainment news outlet. “‘If you’re tired, if you want to go see your grandma, you want to go see your grandpa, if you want to go, then it’s OK. You go.’ And that was all the truth.

“But then I lied, because I said, ‘Don’t worry about me; I’ll be OK.’

“That was a lie I had to tell, but she knew it. ‘OK’ is a long way away.”

As part of his grieving process, Schneider has kept his wife’s name and memory alive in several ways.

He launched a clothing line, AliciaWear, with T-shirts and other merchandise that contain phrases his “Smile” — as he still calls her — used to say: words of encouragement such as “Love That” and “Go Do.”

Schneider continues to write love letters to his wife in daily Facebook posts.

And he is planning to release an album, “We’re Still Us,” that documents his journey of grief with music, Entertainment Weekly reported.

At 63, he even got his first tattoo, one of Alicia’s thumbprint, right where her thumb used to rest when they held hands, People reported.

To those who tell him, “I’m sorry for your loss,” Schneider said, he has a different perspective.

“I didn’t lose her; I know where she is,” he said in a NewsNation interview this week.

“And I know where I’m going.”

Because of his faith in Christ, he said, the actor is convinced he and his “Smile” will be reunited.

“When I’m done here, the first person that’s going to reach out for my hand when I take my last breath will be that woman,” Schneider said.