Danny Glover's daughter shares the first signs she noticed before his Alzheimer's diagnosis
Danny Glover’s daughter has shared the first signs she noticed before her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The 79-year-old star announced yesterday that he had been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease in 2023.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behaviour.
It’s a progressive disease and symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years.
Advert
Speaking in an interview with TODAY, Glover said: "I'm sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing."
He added: "I can live with it in a sense.”
Now, in a new interview with People, the Hollywood legend, who's appeared in films such as Lethal Weapon and The Colour Purple, said of his diagnosis: “I'm 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.”
Glover’s daughter Mandisa, 50, told the publication that ‘he’s aware sometimes and then sometimes not’.
Mandisa also opened up about the first sign she noticed something was wrong.
“He'd tell you so much about his parents — and I've heard those stories over and over — and there would be pieces of the story missing. I said, ‘I wonder what's going on’,” she shared.
Mandisa also appeared alongside Glover in his TODAY interview, where she explained that it was ‘important for him to have control of his own narrative’.
"That's really important. And the time is now. What better time but now for him to speak for himself?"
Glover and his family said they plan to continue working with his doctors to explore treatment options.
“I don't feel like it's the end of my life,” he told People.
“There's work to do.”
Glover made his acting debut back in 1979 with a role in Escape from Alcatraz, but he’s best-known for playing Los Angeles police Sergeant Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon franchise alongside Mel Gibson.
Away from acting, Glover has long been involved in activism, using his platform to support political, social and civil rights causes.
In 2005, he co-founded Louverture Films, a production company focused on creating socially conscious films and championing stories from underrepresented communities.
His decades of advocacy were recognised in 2021 when he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his humanitarian and activism work.
Despite his diagnosis, Glover is keen to remain active in his community.
"We have challenges in the world," he said. "I think art becomes a reframe, a way of looking at that, you know?
"Justice is our collective responsibility,” he added. "One thing I learned from my parents most of my life is the capacity of people to change through their own. They become the architect of their change."
What are the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s Society notes that while the disease can progress differently in people, it often starts in and around the brain.
Early symptoms of Alzheimer's include:
- memory problems
- thinking and reasoning difficulties
- language problems
- changes to how they see and hear things
- changes in mood
Topics: Health
Claire Reid