Singer Maureen McGovern, 73, reveals Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis: ‘I am no longer able to travel, perform in live concerts, or drive’
Maureen McGovern announced that she has been diagnosed with a rare variant of Alzheimer’s disease in a new Facebook video on Friday.
The 73-year-old singer, who won an Oscar for her song The Morning After in 1972, revealed she is suffering from Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), ‘with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and/or dementia.’
‘What I do, or what I am still able to accomplish has changed,’ she said in a voice-over. ‘I am no longer able to travel or perform in live concerts. In fact, I can no longer drive — how’s that for a kick in the butt?’
Sad news: Maureen McGovern announced that she has been diagnosed with a rare variant of Alzheimer’s disease in a new Facebook video on Friday
While acknowledging that her new limitations are challenging, she said nothing will ‘keep’ her ‘from living’ her life to the fullest.
‘At first I began having trouble finding in my mind the words I wanted to say. I struggled with the inevitable shock with fear and frankly hopelessness,’ she said.
The two-time Grammy nominee said she then realized her ‘inner life has not changed.’
Tragic: The 73-year-old singer, who won an Oscar for her song The Morning After in 1972, revealed she is suffering from Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), ‘with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and/or dementia’ (pictured in 1983)
‘My passion for music, for singing, remains profoundly robust,’ the star noted. ‘To me my music is a language that expresses what often cannot be said with just words. It elevates, explains, heals, brings joy and comforts.’
McGovern stated that she accepted this stage of her life after decades of performing and bringing awareness to music therapy.
‘We are all patients and caregivers at sometime in our lives. I have experienced how music and the arts free our spirits and open our hearts to our common humanity,’ the Broadway actress added.
‘What I do, or what I am still able to accomplish has changed,’ she said in a voice-over. ‘I am no longer able to travel or perform in live concerts. In fact, I can no longer drive — how’s that for a kick in the butt?’ (seen in 2015)
Still passionate about music: McGovern stated that she accepted this stage of her life after decades of performing and bringing awareness to music therapy; seen in 2015
The singer also expressed her hope that fans would continue to join her on her next chapter.
She concluded the recording by wishing her fans; ‘lives be filled with music’ and that they ‘be well, be safe, and know that you are loved.’
PCA is described as a ‘degenerative brain and nervous system (neurological) syndrome that results in difficulty with eyesight and processing visual information,’ according to Mayo Clinic.