Danny Glover reveals Alzheimer’s diagnosis, says he has lived with it for years
Danny Glover said he was diagnosed in 2022 and has lived with Alzheimer’s for years, choosing to speak now while he still can.
Danny Glover revealed that he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for several years, saying in a TODAY interview that he wanted to tell his own story while he still could. The 79-year-old actor said he was diagnosed in 2022 and spoke candidly about the illness as it continues to shape his future.
Sitting down with Lester Holt, Glover said the disease will keep changing his life. “Things are going to be different and changing,” he said, describing a condition that NBC News has characterized as a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease. Glover also pointed to the steady support around him, saying of his family, “They got my back.”
His disclosure carries particular weight for Black families, who face a higher burden from dementia in the United States. The Alzheimer’s Association says an estimated 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s in 2026, and older Black Americans are about twice as likely as older White Americans to have Alzheimer’s or another dementia. That disparity has made diagnosis, care access and caregiving strain central concerns for advocates working with communities that are often hit later and harder by the disease.
The organization says research has not yet identified why older Black Americans face those elevated odds. That uncertainty has left families navigating a diagnosis against a backdrop of unequal health outcomes, with many also balancing the demands of long-term care at home. Glover’s decision to speak publicly adds a familiar face to a public-health issue that affects millions of people and stretches far beyond Hollywood.
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