Lethal Weapon star Danny Glover, 79, reveals devastating Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis


Danny Glover has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The acclaimed actor, 79, who is best known for his roles in the Lethal Weapon franchise and The Color Purple, publicly announced his battle with the degenerative condition during an emotional appearance on Wednesday’s The Today Show.

Glover revealed he had been diagnosed ‘not long’ after receiving an honorary Oscar in 2022. 

He said, ‘I can live with it in a sense. I’m sure as it advances, different things will be different and changing.’

Glover’s daughter Mandisa added during the pre-taped appearance that it is ‘really important’ for her father to speak on his own terms.

She said, ‘And the time is now. What better time but now for him to speak for himself? It’s important because people ask questions sometimes, and I don’t want to be a dishonest person and say, ‘Oh, yeah, everything is all right. It’s all great.’”

Danny Glover has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease - pictured 2019

Danny Glover has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease – pictured 2019

The acclaimed actor, 79, who is best known for his roles in the Lethal Weapon franchise and The Color Purple, publicly announced his battle with thecondition during an emotional appearance on Wednesday's The Today Show - pictured with Mel Gibson in 1989's Lethal Weapon II

The acclaimed actor, 79, who is best known for his roles in the Lethal Weapon franchise and The Color Purple, publicly announced his battle with thecondition during an emotional appearance on Wednesday’s The Today Show – pictured with Mel Gibson in 1989’s Lethal Weapon II

Glover also spoke candidly about his condition with People – with Mandisa revealing ‘he’s aware sometimes and then sometimes not.’

The actor said he is ‘still not accepting in my mind all parts of it.

‘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.’

He said coming to terms with his 2023 diagnosis involved him ‘in some sense acknowledging that it’s happening to you and at the same time that there are millions of people suffering from it.’

What is Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink. 

More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it.

WHAT HAPPENS?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost. 

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason. 

The progress of the disease is slow and gradual. 

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

  • Loss of short-term memory
  • Disorientation
  • Behavioral changes
  • Mood swings
  • Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call 

LATER SYMPTOMS:

  • Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places
  • Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior 
  • Eventually lose ability to walk
  • May have problems eating 
  • The majority will eventually need 24-hour care   

 Source: Alzheimer’s Association

 



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