Comedy Legend Tim Conway Battling Dementia, Daughter Steps In To Request Guardianship

Tim Conway, one of the most beloved comedians of the 1960s and 1970s, and a veteran of the classic CBS variety and sketch program, The Carol Burnett Show, is battling dementia — and his daughter is in a battle over his medical treatment.

According to a report by The Blast, court documents reveal that Conway’s 56-year-old daughter, Kelly, one of his seven children, has requested to be appointed the conservator of her father so she can manage his medical treatments and administer his medications.

In court papers, Conway’s daughter claims that his wife Charlene is “planning to move him out of the top-rated nursing facility he is currently at and place him in one that won’t give him access to registered nurses at all times and his 24-hour caregiver and speech therapist (to help with swallowing).”

Conway’s daughter also states that her famous father is “confined to a wheelchair” and cannot “properly provide for his personal needs for physical health, food, and clothing” and is “almost entirely unresponsive.”

Tim Conway is best known for his work on the 1970s comedy The Carol Burnett Show. The comedy star won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor on the show in which he portrayed characters like Oldest Man and Mr. Tudball. Conway is also a six-time Emmy winner, taking home four trophies for his work on Burnett’s show and the remaining two for guest appearances on the sitcoms Coach and 30 Rock.

For 11 seasons, fans tuned in to see Carol Burnett and her comedy troupe, which included Conway, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner, on The Carol Burnett Show. The series premiered on September 11, 1967, and was consistently at the top of the ratings during its original run. Last December, the classic show was honored with a 50th anniversary special on CBS, but Conway was notably absent from the festivities.

When Tim Conway didn’t participate in The Carol Burnett Show 50th Anniversary special last December, fans began to speculate about his health. Conway’s social media posts have disappeared in the last four months. According to Cleveland Plain Dealer, Conway’s last Facebook post came in April of this year when he sent birthday greetings to his longtime co-star Burnett.

“Happy birthday to this wonderful lady. Carol, without you I wouldn’t have something to post about today. My love to you on this splendid day, my friend.”

Carol Burnett has not commented on reports of Tim Conway’s dementia diagnosis.