Danny Glover's Daughter Recalls the First Signs Before His Alzheimer's Diagnosis: 'Pieces Were Missing'

Mandisa Glover is sharing the quiet changes she noticed in her father, Danny Glover, in the years before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

The Oscar-nominated actor and activist, known for a decades-long career in film and television, received his diagnosis in 2023—but for his daughter, the first signs didn’t come all at once.

Looking back, Mandisa said the first signs appeared in 2022, the same year her father received the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his decades of activism and charitable work.

"The history of my dad is that he remembers every single thing back to 1970, what corner he was standing on, who he spoke to, what they spoke about, what color they were wearing, everything," she recalled in an interview in People.

She continued, "He'd tell you so much about his parents—and I've heard those stories over and over—and pieces were missing," she said. "There would be pieces of the story missing. I said, 'I wonder what's going on.'"

Mandisa also admitted there are good days and difficult ones as she continues to care for the 79-year-old actor.

She said, "I think he's aware sometimes and then sometimes not. I'm sure it's depressing. It's a change in the core of who you think you are or don't think you are."

"It's very hard," she admitted before adding, "You just have to live the day for what it is."

The 50-year-old isn't caring for her father alone.

Danny's younger brother, Marty, who lives with the actor, has witnessed the progression of the disease firsthand.

"Everybody thinks he's Mister," he said, referring to the actor's unforgettable performance in The Color Purple. "But he's the greatest guy I ever met in my life," he added

He continued, "You see the deterioration, and you think, 'Wow.' Sometimes you get emotional about it. It's tough, because you don't want to see nobody go through this."

"We just want him to live his best life," Marty said, "like he made us live ours."

Despite the challenges, Mandisa said she tries to focus on what her family still has rather than what they've lost.

"It's either this, or he's not here," she said. "I'm grateful."

For his part, the Lethal Weapon star said he's still adjusting to his diagnosis.

"I'm still not accepting in my mind all parts of it," he admitted. "There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff. And there are moments I'll never forget."

"I don't feel like it's the end of my life," Danny said, before adding, "There's work to do."

“I still have my daughter, I have friends. I want to just say, your life continues," he concluded.

Danny Glover has also been open in the past about other health struggles, including epilepsy. He reportedly experienced his first seizure at the age of 15 and managed the condition with medication for around two decades.

"Each time I got a bit stronger, and the symptoms began to diminish to the point where I was ready to go on stage," he wrote in a blog in 2021, per BlackDoctor.