Danny Glover said on July 1 that he has Alzheimer’s disease and that he received the diagnosis in 2022. He was 79 when he spoke publicly about the illness, just weeks before his July 22 80th birthday.
Glover said, "I can live with it in a sense," but added, "I’m sure as it advances, different things will be different and changing." That is the part that changes the story from a simple disclosure into a live health update: he is describing an illness that is already affecting him and may keep shifting.
Today and Lester Holt
The disclosure came in an interview with Today’s Lester Holt on Wednesday, July 1. Glover also said he remains committed to speaking with young people about social justice, saying, "A big deal is talking to young people and their responsibility." He added, "[I have] a lot to learn, as well."
That places the announcement in the same public lane he has used for years: film work, activism, and direct conversation. For readers, the practical takeaway is simple — the diagnosis is public, the timeline is known, and Glover is still choosing to talk openly rather than step out of view.
Lethal Weapon legacy
Glover rose to fame in the 1980s as LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon films, starring alongside Mel Gibson in the original 1987 film. The franchise later produced three sequels and a 2016 TV adaptation featuring Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans, which kept the character and its signature line in circulation long after the first film.
He has also built a long resume across Places in the Heart, The Color Purple, To Sleep with Anger, Grand Canyon, Angels in the Outfield, The Royal Tenenbaums, Be Kind Rewind, Beyond the Lights, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco, plus earlier recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Governors Awards in 2022 with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. That career frame matters because the diagnosis lands on a figure whose public identity has always been larger than one role.
What comes after July 22
The immediate milestone is July 22, when Glover turns 80. Beyond that, the most relevant unanswered point is how far the disease has progressed since the 2022 diagnosis; he only said the symptoms are changing and that he can live with them for now.
For now, the story ends where the useful reporting does: with Glover still speaking, still active in social justice work, and still trying to define the illness on his own terms before the birthday passes.
