Danny Glover has revealed he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease during an appearance on the Today show.
The Hollywood icon at 79 years of age said he was first diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease in 2022, the same year he earned an honorary Oscar. “I could live with it, in a sense,” Glover said about his ongoing health battle as it takes its toll on his ability to move, speak and retain memories.
“I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing,” Glover told former NBC News anchor Lester Holt during a pre-taped sit down interview. He is best known for big screen performances in films like The Color Purple, To Sleep with Anger, The Royal Tenenbaums, Dreamgirls, Angels in the Outfield and the Lethal Weapon series.
A lifelong activist, Glover has fought for access to quality health care and education in America and abroad, has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program and is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. But now, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, Glover has opened up about his own diagnosis to raise awareness and funds for the fight against the devastating disease.
He credited his parents for his lifelong social activism, including through his choice of film projects. “We have challenges in the world, and I think art has a way of looking at that,” Glover said on the Today program.
Around 7 million Americans over 65 years of age live with Alzheimer’s disease, and black people are twice as likely to develop the brain disorder or other forms of dementia, compared to white people, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
