Actor Danny Glover shocked the world this month with tragic news about his health, but he is still choosing to wear a smile.
The “Color Purple” star recently divulged that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s since 2023.
Despite the medical diagnosis, Glover has not let it stop him from working or greeting his longtime fans.
Glover had four films in the year he was diagnosed, taking a year-long hiatus in 2024.
In 2025, he appeared in the films “Grizzly Peak” and “Newbies,” and in two episodes of the podcast series “Red for Revolution.”
Though many expressed sadness about his condition and whether it would impact his career, a recent fan encounter has shown a more upbeat side of Glover.
In the uploaded July 13 photo, a female fan stood slouched next to him as he sat in a wheelchair at the airport, smiling.
He looked off to the side, one button accidentally left open, while the fan looked directly into the camera, one arm around him.
“Ran into Mr. Danny Glover,” she wrote in the caption.
One person commenting under the photo said, “I recently read Danny Glover is suffering from Alzheimer’s. It’s sad seeing him in this condition.”
The original woman who posted the photo wrote, “It’s not bad yet, he was actually in good spirits and normal when I talked with him.”
A separate concerned fan said, “Now when did Mr. Glover get in a chair?”
The woman again responded, “I’m not sure , but he didn’t stay in it the whole time though.”
Another fan who wanted her to help with his button said, “Button the man shirt up Essence! Come on now!”
She said, “I don’t didn’t notice until the picture was already taken , he was with his family , so I’m not going to be the one touching all on the man like that.”
Over on X, another Glover fan replied, “His diagnosis is heartbreaking. But you know what, I can finally forgive him for not giving those letters to Celie (Whoopi) from her sister. Yep. I’ve been holding a grudge this long. That’s how good of an actor he was.”
Beloved actor and activist Danny Glover has reportedly opened up about living with Alzheimer’s disease, sharing a deeply personal and emotional chapter of his life.
— Beyond Hollywood Updates (@BeyondHUpdate) July 1, 2026
The 79-year-old Hollywood legend, known for Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple, Places in the Heart and decades of… pic.twitter.com/re0f0SC0cH
In the July 1 interview, the actor spoke about his Alzheimer’s diagnosis for the first time while sitting alongside his daughter, Mandisa Glover.
The actor said, “I’m still not accepting in my mind all parts of it,” before later adding. “There are moments I’ll never forget.”
Mandisa, his only child, said her father could remember every detail of a story back to 1970.
But in 2022, she first noticed her father was forgetting to mention parts of the stories she’d heard over and over throughout the years. That was her sign that something was off.
His way of dealing with the diagnosis is “acknowledging” what’s happening to him and the “millions of people suffering from” [Alzheimer’s].
Glover will be turning 80 years old on July 22. As far as plans for the future, he said, “I don’t feel like it’s the end of my life. There’s work to do.”
He has six projects he’s working on this year, which are either in the pre- or post-production phase, or the script is still being written.
In the upcoming TV series “The Prosecutor,” Glover plays the U.S. ambassador. In the film “Dionne,” which will follow the life of singer Dionne Warwick from 1962 through 1968, Glover will play her father, Mansel Warwick.
