Country star Alan Jackson has a degenerative nerve condition.
Speaking on N-B-C’s “Today” show, Jackson says he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease a decade ago. It’s a condition that affects balance.
“I never wanted to do the big retirement tour, like people do, then take a year off and then come back,” Jackson said. “I think that’s kinda cheesy. And I’m not saying I won’t be able to tour. I’ll try to do as much as I can.”
“I have this neuropathy and neurological disease,” Jackson said. “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.”
At home, Jackson is supported by his high school sweetheart and wife of 41 years, Denise Jackson.
“When I’m down, he lifts me up. When he’s down, I try to lift him up,” Denise explained. “The happy side of that is we’ve had a fairy-tale life.”
Jackson is 62 and says the disease doesn’t affect his life expectancy.
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