Country music legend Glen Campbell has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the 75-year-old singer, songwriter and guitarist told People magazine in a recent exclusive interview.
Due to the severity of his condition, the Grammy-winning singer will be forced to hang up his boots, but before doing so he has decided to give his loyal fans a farewell tour and knock out one last album.
“Glen is still an awesome guitar player and singer,” explained Cambell’s wife Kim, when asked the reason for going public with his disease. “But if he flubs a lyric or gets confused on stage, I wouldn’t want people to think, ‘What’s the matter with him? Is he drunk ?’ “
The multiple Grammy-winner, whose Rhinestone Cowboy topped the charts in 1975, had been suffering from short-term memory loss for years, but the Alzheimer’s diagnosis only came six months ago, according to People Magazine.
Over the course of his career which spans more than 5 decades, Campbell has released more than 70 albums and has sold 45 million records. The multi-talented artist proved he was more than just a singer when he was handpicked by John Wayne to play alongside him in the film True Grit , which gave Campbell a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. Campbell also sang the title song which was nominated for an Academy Award.
“I still love making music,” says Campbell. “And I still love performing for my fans. I’d like to thank them for sticking with me through thick and thin.”
In celebration of Cambell’s 50+ year career, check out “Rhinestone Cowboy,” his largest-selling single, initially with over 2 million copies sold in a matter of month:
via People