Danny Glover Opens Up for the First Time About Living With Alzheimer's

The Oscar honoree built his legacy on decades of unforgettable performances and tireless activism. Now, his family is opening up about a new chapter that's testing all of them.

Danny Glover has opened up for the first time about living with Alzheimer's at age 79, alongside his only daughter, Mandisa, 50 — whom he shares with first wife Asake Bomani — and his younger brother, Marty, 67.

Mandisa, 50, says her father's awareness of his illness comes and goes. "I think he's aware sometimes and then sometimes not," she told People in a new interview published Wednesday, July 1.

According to the outlet, her words prove true throughout their conversation. Still, there were moments where the respected actor spoke with total clarity, including about his own thoughts and feelings surrounding his diagnosis.

"I'm still not accepting in my mind all parts of it," he said. "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."

For nearly 50 years, Glover has delivered some of the most compelling performances on screen.

Following acclaimed work on Broadway and in breakout films like "Places in the Heart" and "The Color Purple," he won over of fans with his role opposite Mel Gibson in the 1987 action blockbuster "Lethal Weapon."

The film spawned a hit franchise that went on to produce three more sequels.

More Emmy-nominated roles followed, and Glover became known for his undeniable range on screen while also earning recognition for his unrelenting activism and humanitarian efforts.

In 2022, he was honored with the Oscars' Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his lifelong dedication to charitable work. It was that same year, however, that Mandisa began noticing a shift in her father's behavior.

"The history of my dad is that he remembers every single thing back to 1970, what corner he was standing on, who he spoke to, what they spoke about, what color they were wearing, everything," she said.

But that changed, as she explained, "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.'"

Glover received his diagnosis the following year. Coming to terms with the illness, he admitted, means "in some sense acknowledging that it's happening to you and at the same time that there are millions of people suffering from it."

Now, the "Sorry to Bother You" star is ready to share his story, which he sees as an extension of his lifelong commitment to service. "I don't feel like it's the end of my life," he said. "There's work to do."

Marty, who lives with Danny, followed his brother into the entertainment industry, though he worked behind the scenes in production. It was there that he witnessed his brother's star power firsthand — which makes watching the toll of Alzheimer's all the more painful.

"You see the deterioration, and you think, 'Wow,'" Marty shared. "Sometimes you get emotional about it. It's tough, because you don't want to see nobody go through this."

Mandisa feels that weight too. "It's very hard. You just have to live the day for what it is," she said. Danny and his family plan to keep working with his doctor to explore treatment options.

"We just want him to live his best life," Marty says, "like he made us live ours."

As for Danny, his mind is clearest in the mornings. His advice for anyone facing a similar journey centers on one thing: a strong support system is essential. "I still have my daughter, I have friends. I want to just say, your life continues."