Renowned American actor Danny Glover has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years, he revealed.
The 79-year-old told NBC in an interview with that aired on Wednesday that he received the diagnosis “not long” after an honorary Oscar designation in 2022. While his movements, speech and memories have since slowed, Glover said he is still remains active.
“I can live with it in a sense,” Glover said in the pre-taped interview. “I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing.”
A four-time Emmy winner, Glover is best known for his role in the Lethal Weapon series and The Color Purple film.
In the interview with former NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt that aired on The Today Show, Glover and members of his family said they want to help change the stigma around the disease by speaking out about his condition.
“I think it’s really important for him to have control of his own narrative, of his own life story,” Glover’s daughter, Mandisa, said. “That’s really important. And the time is now. What better time but now for him to speak for himself?”
Glover is just one of some 7 million people in the US over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s disease – a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms tend to become more severe and interfere with daily tasks.
Older black Americans such as Glover are twice as likely as to develop Alzheimer’s or another dementia as older white Americans, according to the Alzheimer’s Association in the US, which notes that research hasn’t yet identified the cause for the discrepancy.
In the NBC interview, Glover reflected on his acting career, which he began in his early 20s – racking up more than 170 acting credits.
He rose to fame in the 1980s with his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh alongside Mel Gibson as Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon films.
Glover was also known for his role in films including Places in the Heart in 1984 and The Color Purple in 1985.
With a passion for social justice, the actor launched a production company to develop and fund politically relevant films.
“We have challenges in the world,” Glover said in Wednesday’s interview. ” I think art becomes a reframe, a way of looking at that, you know?”
