Danny Glover reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Danny Glover, the actor whose roles in “Lethal Weapon” and “The Color Purple” made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable performers, has revealed that he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years.

Glover, 79, disclosed the diagnosis in a prerecorded interview with NBC’s “Today” show that aired Wednesday. Speaking with Lester Holt at his home, Glover said the disease has changed his movement, speech and memory, but he remains active and supported by his family.

“I can live with it, in a sense,” Glover said. “I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing.”

Several members of Glover’s family appeared with him in the interview. They said they hope his decision to speak publicly will help challenge stigma around Alzheimer’s disease.

“They’ve got my back,” Glover said of his family.

His daughter, Mandisa, said it was important for him to share the news in his own words. “I think it’s really important for him to have control of his own narrative, of his own life story,” she said. “That’s really important. And the time is now. What better time but now for him to speak for himself?”

Glover told NBC he received the diagnosis after being recognized with an honorary Oscar. CBS News reported that he accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Oscars in 2021 and that the audience did not know he had already been diagnosed. The BBC reported that he said he was diagnosed “not long” after an honorary Oscar designation in 2022.

Glover built a long career across film, television and activism. He rose to major fame in the 1980s as Detective Roger Murtaugh opposite Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs in the “Lethal Weapon” films. His other credits include “The Color Purple,” “Mandela” and “Places in the Heart.” The BBC reported that he began acting in his early 20s and has accumulated more than 170 acting credits.

CBS News described Glover as a multi-time Emmy and Grammy nominee, while the BBC described him as a four-time Emmy winner. Both outlets noted his prominence as an actor and his long record of social and political engagement. CBS News said his honorary Academy Award recognized his activism, and the BBC reported that he launched a production company to develop and fund politically relevant films.

“We have challenges in the world,” Glover said in the NBC interview. “I think art becomes a reframe, a way of looking at that, you know?”

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. It causes cognitive and memory loss over a period of years and can affect memory, thinking, behavior and daily tasks. Increasing age is the greatest risk factor, with most cases diagnosed at age 65 or older.

The BBC reported that Glover is among about 7 million people in the United States over age 65 living with Alzheimer’s disease. It also cited the Alzheimer’s Association as saying older Black Americans are twice as likely as older white Americans to develop Alzheimer’s or another dementia, though research has not yet identified the cause of the disparity.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers continue to study it and have developed some treatments that may slow its decline.