10 Well-Known Individuals Who Survived the 9/11 Attacks

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, which unfolded in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, are universally recognized. Over 3,000 lives were lost that day, either aboard one of the four hijacked planes or on the ground in the buildings. I had previously written a Mytour article titled 'Ten People Who Did Not Board the Titanic.' Some readers requested a similar list of individuals who narrowly escaped death on September 11, 2001, much like the fortunate few who avoided boarding the ill-fated Titanic on its maiden voyage in April 1912. I thought it was a great follow-up idea and immediately began my research. I was astonished by the number of stories about people who, for various reasons, narrowly avoided being at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or aboard one of those doomed flights. Even more surprising were the accounts of celebrities and well-known figures, some more famous than others, who found themselves in the right place at the right time and survived the attacks. Here are ten famous people who avoided death on September 11, 2001.

10. Larry Silverstein

Larry Silverstein, the affluent property owner and developer who held the lease for the World Trade Center, was supposed to be at work on the morning of September 11, 2001, in his company’s temporary offices on the 88th floor of the North Tower. However, he had a conflicting dermatology appointment that morning. According to Silverstein, his wife insisted that he not miss the doctor’s appointment. As a result, Silverstein was not present at the World Trade Center when the planes struck. Two of Silverstein’s children, his son Roger and daughter Lisa, often attended meetings with important clients at Windows on the World. That morning, they were running late and thus missed being at the restaurant when the planes hit. All three Silversteins survived, which led some conspiracy theorists to speculate that they had prior knowledge of the attacks and purposely stayed away from the WTC that day. Silverstein did, however, lose four employees in the tragedy, two of whom had only just been hired.

9. Michael Lomonaco

Chef Michael Lomonaco had one of the most coveted positions in the culinary world as the head chef for Windows on the World, located on the 106th and 107th floors of the iconic World Trade Center. On the morning of September 11, 2001, he was making his way to his office at around 8:15 am when he made an unexpected decision. He had an appointment scheduled at noon to get his glasses repaired at the Lens Crafters in the lobby of World Trade Center Building 1, but he opted to stop by earlier in an attempt to get his glasses fixed ahead of time. This brief delay of approximately 30 minutes likely saved his life.

As he left to head up to the 106th and 107th floors, he heard a strange rumbling sound in the lobby. 'It was a sensation I had never experienced before,' he recalls. 'I couldn’t hear anything clearly, but the rumble felt different. Later, I would realize it was the first plane’s impact.' 'When I stepped outside a few minutes later, I saw fire near where Windows on the World had been. The severity of it wasn’t clear at the time, but I immediately began to assess who had been up there working.' He was making his way toward the fire exits to assist when he witnessed the second plane hit. 'I saw it happen,' he says, still in disbelief. 'It was absolutely shocking, a moment I’ll never forget. I wasn’t watching on TV, I was right there on the street. I was witnessing it firsthand.'

8. Gwyneth Paltrow

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow was not personally involved in narrowly escaping the 9/11 attacks. However, a serendipitous encounter between Paltrow and a stranger, Lara Lundstrom Clarke, may have ultimately saved Clarke's life. Both women had been active that morning, with Paltrow attending an early yoga session and Clarke rollerblading along the Hudson River. While Clarke was crossing a West Village street in New York, Paltrow was driving her silver Mercedes SUV. Clarke suddenly recognized the celebrity and, upon noticing each other, they both paused to exchange pleasantries. This brief moment caused Clarke to miss her train to the World Trade Center, where she worked on the 77th floor of Building 2. Excited about the chance meeting, Clarke caught the next train and arrived just in time to witness the first plane crashing into Tower One. 'Had I caught that train, I would have been sitting at my desk on the 77th floor of 2 World Trade Center,' Clarke later remarked.

A decade later, Clarke reached out to Paltrow to reconnect and reflect on the life-changing encounter they shared. Paltrow responded: 'It still gives me chills,' she confessed. 'It’s hard to believe how many lives were altered that day simply by a chance encounter.'

7. Patti Austin

Grammy Award-winning singer Patti Austin was originally scheduled to fly on United Flight 93 from Boston to San Francisco on September 11, 2001. However, due to her mother suffering a stroke, Austin rescheduled her flight to the previous day, which allowed her to perform at the first night of the Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in New York City. 'That’s what saved my life,' Austin reflects on the pivotal change.

Had Austin been on Flight 93, she would have been among the passengers who attempted to retake control of the plane from the hijackers before it crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 'I felt that my life had been saved for some specific reason,' she said. 'I still haven’t figured out what that reason is, but I’ve increased my charity work since then, doing much more than I did before.'

6. Julie Stoffer

In 2000, Julie Stoffer appeared on MTV’s reality TV series The Real World: New Orleans, which marked the ninth season of the show. She made history as the first Mormon to be featured on The Real World. Raised in a strict Mormon household, Stoffer was forbidden from watching MTV, so she had to catch the show at a friend’s house. Determined to be part of the experience, she auditioned in LA along with 35,000 others. Coincidentally, the show's producers were seeking a 'faithful Mormon,' and Stoffer was chosen for the role.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Stoffer was scheduled to fly on American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles. However, after having a dispute with her boyfriend, Stoffer missed her flight. Flight 11 tragically crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, resulting in the deaths of all passengers aboard.

5. Michael Jackson

Eight years before his death, the world almost lost the King of Pop in the 9/11 attacks. Michael Jackson was among the many celebrities who could have perished in the tragedy—had it not been for his mother. He was meant to attend a meeting at the World Trade Center that morning, but he overslept after staying up late conversing with his mother, Katherine, and sister, Rebbie. Jermaine Jackson recounted this in his memoir, You Are Not Alone: Michael: Through a Brother’s Eyes.

“Fortunately, none of us knew Michael was supposed to attend a meeting that morning at the top of one of the Twin Towers,” Jermaine wrote. “We only realized this when Mother called his hotel to check on him. She, Rebbie [Jackson], and others had left him there around 3 am. ‘Mother, I’m fine, thanks to you. You kept me talking so late that I missed my appointment,’ he told her.”

4. Jim Pierce

In September 2001, Jim Pierce was serving as the managing director for AON Corporations, a New York-based firm. Additionally, he was the cousin of President George H.W. Bush. On September 11, Pierce had planned to attend a business conference on the 105th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center. However, because of the overwhelming number of attendees, the venue was changed to a larger room at the Millennium Hotel, situated directly across from the World Trade Center.

Barbara Bush, in her memoir Reflections: Life After the White House, described the incident: “I later learned that my nephew, Jim Pierce, narrowly avoided injury or even death. He had been scheduled to attend a meeting on the 102nd floor of the South Tower—the second tower to be hit. Yet, the night before, the meeting was moved to a different building because the original venue was too small for the number of participants. Jim later discovered that twelve people were in the room where he was supposed to be, and eleven of them tragically perished.”

3. Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane has brought joy to millions through his work as an animator, writer, producer, director, and the voice behind beloved characters in shows like Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show. However, if not for a mishap with his flight schedule on September 11, 2001, MacFarlane would not have had the opportunity to create American Dad or The Cleveland Show.

On that fateful day, MacFarlane was supposed to return to Los Angeles on American Airlines Flight 11 after delivering a keynote speech at his alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design. Thanks to a mix-up by his travel agent, MacFarlane was informed that his flight was departing from Logan Airport at 8:15 am, but it was actually scheduled for 7:45 am. He arrived at the airport just as boarding ended and was told he could not board. One hour later, Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, taking the lives of everyone aboard. MacFarlane quickly called his parents to reassure them that he was safe.

MacFarlane recounted the events with his signature humor in an interview: “I was booked on that flight, but I had been out drinking the night before, and I missed the plane by about 10 minutes. It was a close call for me.” He quipped, “I guess alcohol is our friend. That’s the lesson here.” He added that he was thankful his travel agent made the mistake with the departure time, as otherwise, he would have been on the flight and wouldn’t have known how to react when the terrorists hijacked the plane.

On February 10, 2011, MacFarlane revealed that he was directing his first full-length feature film, Ted. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, who also narrowly avoided being on Flight 11 that tragic morning.

2. Sarah Ferguson

On September 11, 2001, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was in New York City for an interview with Matt Lauer at the NBC studios when the first plane struck the World Trade Center. Lauer later shared that his director informed him of the crash, and the interview with Ferguson was abruptly cut. Ferguson’s charity, ‘Chances for Children,’ was situated on the 101st floor of 1 World Trade Center. Although she had planned to be there with the charity, she was running late that day. Thankfully, none of the charity’s staff were in the building, though nearly 700 employees from Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial company that provided office space for the charity, perished in the aftermath of the attacks.

1. Mark Wahlberg

Actor and former rapper Mark Wahlberg hails from near Boston, Massachusetts. He later became a prominent figure in films like The Perfect Storm and Boogie Nights. On September 11, 2001, he and some friends were initially scheduled to board American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles. However, they changed their plans at the last moment and chartered a flight to Toronto for a film festival instead, before continuing to Los Angeles. Wahlberg still reflects on this close call: ‘We certainly would have tried to do something to fight. I’ve had probably over 50 dreams about it.’