Lethal Weapon star Danny Glover has revealed he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years.
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“I can live with it, in a sense. I’m sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing,” the 79-year-old acting legend told Lester Holt in a Today show interview.
Accompanied by his family, Glover shared during the exclusive interview that he was diagnosed with the progressive disease shortly before receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the January 2022 Governors Awards.
Alzheimer’s disease affects memory, movement, and speech. Since his diagnosis, Glover admitted he noticed changes in all three areas. However, he remains active, continuing to attend events in his San Francisco community.
Glover noted that the Alzheimer’s Association has recommended staying physically active, managing blood pressure and diabetes, getting adequate sleep, and maintaining social connections.
“I think it’s really important for him to have control of his own narrative, of his own life story,” Mandisa, Glover’s daughter, explained to Holt. “That’s really important. 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,'” she added.
Danny Glover Reveals His Most Personal Film
While Glover became a cultural icon for his role as Roger Murtaugh in the four Lethal Weapon films, he points to a different performance among his nearly 200 film and television credits as a personal favorite.
He cites 1985’s The Color Purple as his most personal film, a role made even more meaningful by the recent loss of his mother.
“My mother, on the same day that I was told I was going to play the role, she had an automobile accident,” he recalled.
“The one thing about my parents was their activism,” Glover continued. “A sense of being and belonging and making the contribution. When I saw the Montgomery bus boycott [from 1955-56], I knew I wanted to be like those people. I wanted to be in that moment and part of the role.”
Glover’s youngest brother, Martin, also appeared on Today to offer his support.
“He took me under his wing, and I love him to death,” Martin said. “And I’m here to help him now. It’s my turn. We talk, and we share times about our parents, our mothers, and our family. So it’s all about family.”