Alan Jackson appeared on The Today Show for an interview with Jenna Bush Hager where he revealed that for a decade he’s been living with a degenerative nerve condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
During the interview Alan shared “I have this neuropathy and neurological disease…it’s genetic…that I inherited from my daddy. There’s no cure for it, but it’s been affecting me for years. And it’s getting more and more obvious. And I know I’m stumbling around on stage. And now I’m having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable.”
Even with sharing this deeply personal news, Alan joked about the irony that this disease’s acronym is C-M-T, since CMT, Country Music Television, played such a huge part of his life and career.
Alan shared with Jenna during his Today Show interview that “It’s not going to kill me. It’s not deadly, but it’s related (to) muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease.”
Alan added, “I don’t want people to be sad for me; it’s just part of life…I’ve had a wonderful, beautiful life. I’ve been so blessed. It’s just good to put it out there in the open. In some ways, it’s a relief.”
Watch Jenna Bush Hager’s full interview with Alan Jackson that covers his career, his family, and his diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease here…
Photo Credit: Russ Harrington
