Ex-Bear Stearns chief tells of his brush with death

Former Bear Stearns Chief Executive James Cayne came close to dying last September from sepsis triggered by a severe prostate infection, Fortune Magazine reported yesterday on its website.

And though he survived his own brush with death, the veteran trader admitted he did not know how to save his 85-year-old firm, which collapsed six months later as Bear was unable to navigate the credit crisis that ultimately sparked a run on Bear by clients and investors.

"The options were limited," Cayne told Fortune in its Aug 18 edition. Bear posted its first-ever quarterly loss in December, shortly after his return from the hospital.