In several interviews, he stated that he was actually born on 24 December 1926, but his date of birth was officially registered as 1 January 1927 - this was done on purpose, to delay his compulsory conscription for an entire year.
He had a son, Pawel, with his first wife, Ewa. He also had two children with his second wife, Krystyna: son, Witold; and daughter, Katarzyna.
He died of a stroke due to complications from pneumonia, in the morning of April 22, 2017, in Warsaw. He had been hospitalized since early April. He also had heart and circulation issues.