ALAN JACKSON’S CRIPPLING SECRET!
Incurable disease takes toll on tragic country singer
COURAGEOUS country crooner Alan Jackson has been hiding a tragic secret from his fans — he’s battled an incurable nerve-savaging disease for the last decade. The 63-year-old “You’ll Always Be My Baby” singer revealed he’s stricken with the “no cure” Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), which weakens muscles in the arms and legs and often makes walking difficult.
“It’s not going to kill me. It’s not deadly,” he said. “But it’s related [to] muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease.”
Alan said he inherited CMT from his dad and, as a result, the “Chattahoochee” singer stumbles around the stage during live concerts. Jackson said it’s getting worse.
“It’s been affecting me for years, and it’s getting more and more obvious,” he confessed. “And I know I’m stumbling around onstage. “And now I’m having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable.”
While CMT keeps him from moving like he used to, the Country Music Hall of Fame member vowed to keep performing even if he’s limited.
“I’m not saying I won’t be able to tour,” he said. “I’ll try to do as much as I can. “I never wanted to do the big retirement tour, like people do, then take a year off and then come back.” His wife, Denise, mom of his daughters, Mattie, 31, Alexandra, 28, and Dani, 24, insisted, “We’ve had a fairy-tale life” despite Alan’s medical issues.
The “Remember When” star added he wants his songs to be his legacy. He said: “I’ve always believed that the music is the most important thing.”