Danny Glover, 'Lethal Weapon' star, reveals Alzheimer's diagnosis: 'Your life continues'

A long Hollywood career

Danny Glover rose to fame in the 1980s as detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon franchise, opposite Mel Gibson. Over nearly 40 years he amassed more than 170 film and TV credits, from his debut in Escape From Alcatraz (1979) to acclaimed roles in The Color Purple and Predator 2. His humanitarian work earned him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022.

The diagnosis and its impact

Glover was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2023, not long after receiving that honorary Oscar. Speaking to Lester Holt on the Today show and to People magazine, he described a gradual slowing of his movements, speech and memory. His daughter Mandisa had noticed the first changes a year earlier, when her father, who once recalled every detail from decades ago, began leaving gaps in familiar stories.

Speaking out now

Mandisa Glover, his only child, said it was crucial that her father control his own narrative. "The time is now," she told Holt. "What better time but now for him to speak for himself?" Her father's decision to go public was also about breaking the stigma around Alzheimer's. Glover himself acknowledged the challenge ahead:

I'm sure as it advances, things are going to be different and changing.

Living with the disease

At home in San Francisco, where he has lived for 50 years, Glover is surrounded by family. His brother Marty lives with him, and his daughter has stepped into a caregiver role. Despite lapses, he still attends community events and exercises. People noted that during the interview he alternated between lucid moments and "unfinished thoughts and poetic digressions." Glover admitted he had not fully accepted the diagnosis but clung to the good days:

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.

A message of hope

Glover has been a UNICEF and UNDP goodwill ambassador and a lifelong activist. He now collaborates with the Alzheimer's Association to promote early detection of the disease, which affects about 7.5 million Americans. At 79, turning 80 on July 22, he refuses to see this as the end.

I don't feel like it's the end of my life. There's work to do. I still have my daughter, I have friends. I want to just say, your life continues.