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Danny Glover is an absolute fixture in decades of entertainment media.
He is also an accomplished activist on an international level.
This week, he also shared some difficult news.
Glover has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
He was diagnosed three years ago
On Wednesday, July 1, the legendary actor told both The Today Show and People that he has Alzheimer’s disease.
The 79-year-old, who turns 80 later this month (July 22, Selena Gomez’s birthday), received his diagnosis three years ago.
Glover received his honorary Oscar in 2022.
Based upon the timeline, he may have experienced early symptoms around that time, or not long after.
Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease and the most common form of dementia. It is very promising that Glover is currently able to hold conversations and explain the disease himself.
Glover admitted to People that this grim diagnosis — of a fatal disease that will only get worse — has been difficult to process.
“I’m still not accepting in my mind all parts of it,” he acknowledged.
“There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff,” Glover shared.
“And,” he added aspirationally, “there are moments I’ll never forget.”
We hope that he is right. Not all Alzheimer’s cases progress in the same way. And there are many people working on a cure, albeit fewer than there were two years ago thanks to RFK Jr.’s devastating cuts to medical research.
He has spent decades as a cultural icon
Glover is, simply put, a living legend.
Whether you know him from Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple, Predator 2, or for his decades of activism, he is a familiar face and a household name.
Glover was nominated for a slew of Emmy Awards.
In 2022, he received an honorary Oscar.
The Screen Actors Guild, BET, and the NAACP have all showered him with honors.
Even outside of the world of acting, he served as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998 until 2004.
That program works on combating poverty and disease and promoting economic development in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean — a huge portion of what is commonly referred to as the “global south.”
Additionally, he was awarded the Cuban National Medal of Friendship by the Cuban Council of State.
That is, needless to say, an unusual honor for an American to receive.
We will keep Glover and his family and loved ones in our thoughts.