Glen Campbell Opens Up About Living With Alzheimer’s and the ‘Mistakes’ He Knows He’ll Make
Last summer, the world was saddened by the news that legendary country star Glen Campbell was in the beginning stages of his battle with Alzheimer’s. Rather than laying low and disappearing from the music scene, Campbell announced a full-blown tour as his way to say thank you to his loyal fans throughout the years.
While Campbell criss-crosses the country on his Goodbye Tour, he is well aware of his situation, knowing he will make mistakes here and there along the way. “I realize you are going to make mistakes through life,” Campbell tells CNN of his bout with the disease. “Just don’t make any bad ones, you know. Like all of my records are perfect records, but I did make mistakes on them. I would rather do live than any kind of lip-synching or something like that. I don’t like to lip-synch.”
Campbell says the support and love from his fans night after night is giving him the strength for the long road that lies ahead. “I just take it as it comes, you know,” he says of the struggle. “I know that I have a problem with that, but it doesn’t bother me. If you’re going to have it handed to you, you have got to take it, anyway. So that is the way I look at it.”
In addition to his fans’ support, Campbell also has his wife, Kim, to lean on. “She [changed] my life in many ways,” Campbell spills. “Before I met her, I didn’t know where I was at or where I was going. And after I met her, I knew where I was going, and I knew where to wanted to go. Do everything according to God, and be nice, and treat other people the way you would like to be treated. We both go on that bit of advice there.”
While the cards Campbell has been dealt in the recent year aren’t what he wanted or expected, the singer is still thankful for the opportunity he has been given in life. Campbell says he often prays for thanks when he remembers to. “[I thank the] Lord for letting me get up this morning,” Campbell reveals. “Let me have a good day. And if you don’t, I will come up there and get you! And he laughs at that.”
Campbell’s Goodbye Tour will continue through the end of June. The iconic hitmaker was honored at the 2012 Grammy Awards with a co-performance from the Band Perry and Blake Shelton.