Danny Glover Reveals He Has Alzheimer's - the 'Lethal Weapon' Star Is Telling His Own Story

Caption: Danny Glover at Phoenix Comicon in 2014. Credit: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Revelation

Danny Glover, the 79-year-old actor known to generations as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the “Lethal Weapon” films, has revealed that he has Alzheimer’s disease. He shared the diagnosis during an appearance on “Today,” according to Fox News. “I’ve been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s,” Glover said, stating the news plainly and choosing to make it public rather than private.

How He Framed It

Glover described the disease as something he intends to face on his own terms. It is affecting his movement, speech, and memory, and he acknowledged that the road ahead will change. “I can live with it, in a sense,” he said, adding that “as it advances, things are going to be… different and changing,” according to Fox News. The tone was neither despairing nor minimizing; it was the measured account of a man describing his own condition.

A Family Decision

Glover did not make the disclosure alone. His daughter, Mandisa, joined him on “Today” and explained why the family chose to share the diagnosis publicly: to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around the disease. “That’s what I think is important, you know, that he tells his story. That he has ownership of his life,” she said, according to Fox News. Her framing shifted the story from a medical bulletin to something closer to a statement of agency.

Still in the Room

What sets Glover’s disclosure apart from a simple health update is that he has not framed it as an exit. He continues to make public appearances and stay involved in his community, and he expressed his intent to keep “talking to young people and their responsibility,” according to Fox News. For an actor whose off-screen life has long been defined by activism as much as by film, that continuity is the point.

A Career Worth Remembering

Glover’s body of work stretches well beyond the buddy-cop franchise that made him a household name. He pointed to “Places in the Heart,” the 1984 drama, as a role that held personal meaning, according to Fox News. Across four decades, from that film to “The Color Purple” to the “Lethal Weapon” series, Glover built a career recognizable across generations. That reach is why his decision to speak openly about Alzheimer’s carries weight: a familiar face, telling a hard story in his own words.

References: Lethal Weapon Star Danny Glover Alzheimers Battle 79 | Danny Glover Alzheimers Exclusive Today