Tracy Morgan may be a comedian, but he’s had more than his fair share of somber life experiences.

On Monday night, the actor appeared to fall ill during the third quarter of a basketball game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden.

Social media footage showed Morgan being taken from the game in a wheelchair. CNN has reached out to representatives for the star for comment.

It’s not the first time the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member has dealt with either illness or challenging times.

Growing up in the projects

Life was far from easy for Morgan, who has said he grew up across the street from The Marcy Projects in New York City, where drugs, crime and poverty were rampant.

During an appearance last year on the sports podcast “Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart,” Morgan spoke about having “survivors guilt” because he’s enjoyed success compared to those he knew growing up.

“You know why I don’t really listen to hip hop like that? Or deal with the streets like that,” Morgan said. “That’s where the trauma happened. My friends went to jail forever. Some of them died. I was traumatized. It’s hard.”

He’s not the only member of his family who has been able to use humor to overcome darkness. During that same podcast, Morgan was asked when he realized comedy offered him a way out and he said it had been via his father.

“My dad did standup comedy [while serving] in Vietnam,” Morgan said. “I’m just mimicking my dad. My dad had more talent in his one pinky than I got in my whole body. He was hilarious.”

Morgan also idolized his uncle Mike, whom he shared “got a whole family full of women pregnant.”

“Three sisters pregnant,” the star said, to the amusement of the show’s cohosts. “Had the stinkiest feet in the world, but I loved sleeping in the room [with him] cause two o’clock in the morning he’d go in the kitchen and fix peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That was my Uncle Mike so that was where I get my sense of humor from.”

High school dropout

The star has talked about leaving high school a few credits shy of graduating in order to make money to help support his family.

He expressed no regrets during a 2010 Q&A with the New York Post when he was asked, “Is there one particular gig you’re glad you didn’t do?”

“Yeah, college. Because if I went, I might have ended up at some crappy job. I’m glad I dropped out of high school, man. I wouldn’t be where I’m at,” he responded. “I would have had a net. I’m glad I didn’t have anything to fall back on, man, because that made me go for my dreams that much harder.”

Health challenges

That same year the comedian got a kidney transplant after diabetes ravaged his body.

He has been open about his struggles with alcohol, which contributed to his health issues. Morgan told Rolling Stone magazine in 2010 that he had an alter ego he called “Chico Divine,” who, according to the publication, “would drink, maybe smoke some weed and, if the DJ played just the right Biggie Smalls song, take off his shirt and jiggle his belly for the ladies.”

“I love Chico,” Morgan said at the time. “He is the coolest dude, he would never hurt anybody. Chico never shot at the cops. Chico never fought. The most Chico ever did was throw up in Club Suede.”

Tracy Morgan found comedy inspiration in his father’s talent. – Getty Images

But Chico could also be problematic, racking up so many DUIs that by 2007 the star was required to wear an ankle bracelet that monitored his alcohol intake.

“That embarrassed me,” the actor said. “My oldest son looked at me like I was a jerk.”

The monitor also caused a wound that wouldn’t heal which almost resulted in Morgan having to have his foot amputated.

Morgan, who had been enjoying the success of “SNL” and later the hit NBC comedy “30 Rock,” has said he’s been sober for decades.

A tragic crash

One of the most high profile tragedies of Morgan’s life was a 2014 multi-vehicle crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in which a limousine bus that Morgan was traveling in collided with a Walmart truck.

His dear friend and mentor James “Jimmy Mac” McNair, 62, was killed and Morgan ended up in a coma for weeks with injuries that left him in a wheelchair for months.

“The Last O.G.” star ended up having to learn to walk again around the same time his then 14 month old daughter was also learning, something he turned into comedy about in his 2017 Netflix special “Staying Alive.”

“That’s magic,” he said of sharing that experience with his toddler.

Transforming the worst into something to laugh about is something Morgan has became a pro at.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com