In a recent interview, Alan Jackson revealed he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth diseas, a degenerative nerve disorder. Jackson stated, “I have this neuropathy and neurological disease, 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.”
The condition causes balance problems by compromising smaller, weaker muscles in the body’s extremities. Jackson added, “It’s not going to kill me. It’s not deadly, But it’s related (to) muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there is not yet a cure for CMT but it can be managed through supportive therapies.
Jackson went on to say that, “I never wanted to do the big retirement tour, like people do, then take a year off and then come back, 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.”
Jackson concluded in saying he hopes that the legacy he leaves behind is his music.
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