Danny Glover has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The “Lethal Weapon” star, 79, shared news of his diagnosis in a conversation with the “Today” show that aired Wednesday, July 1. He said he has been living with the disease for several years and that it has slowed his speech, movement and memories.
Glover sat down in his home with NBC’s Lester Holt for the interview.
“I could live with it, in a sense,” Glover said, but added that as the disease progresses, “things are going to be different and changing.”
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, is a progressive brain disorder that “begins with mild memory loss and can lead to the inability to carry on a conversation, carry out daily activities, or respond to the environment,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Almost 7 million Americans age 65 and older live with Alzheimer’s, per the Mayo Clinic.
Glover also spoke with People magazine about receiving his diagnosis in 2023, saying he came to terms with it with the help of his family. “I still have my daughter, I have friends,” he told the outlet. “I want to just say, your life continues.”
“I’m still not accepting in my mind all parts of it,” he also said. “There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff. And there are moments I’ll never forget.”
Glover’s daughter, Mandisa, told People that her father is “aware sometimes and then sometimes not,” and she described the diagnosis as a “change in the core of who you think you are or don’t think you are.” But the actor said he doesn’t feel it’s “the end of my life,” telling People, “There’s work to do.” Glover shared the news of his diagnosis weeks before his 80th birthday on July 22.
Glover is best known for his role opposite Mel Gibson as homicide detective Roger Murtaugh in the “Lethal Weapon” franchise. He has also starred in movies like “Predator 2,” “The Color Purple” and “Places in the Heart,” and he has received five Emmy nominations, including for his role as Nelson Mandela in the TV film “Mandela.”
In 2022, Glover received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Oscar given to individuals “whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities.”
In a ceremony at the time, Alfre Woodard honored Glover for his longtime activism, noting he was a “driving force” in a student walkout that led to the creation of the Department of Black Studies at San Francisco State University.
“Danny Glover always does the right thing first, without testing the prevailing winds of public opinion,” Woodard said. “The places in his heart where he has put his time and his resources outnumber his years.”
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