Recently, country music superstar Alan Jackson has revealed he is living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disorder, a degenerative nerve condition impacting his ability to tour and perform. “I’ve been reluctant to talk about this publicly and to my fans, but I have this neuropathy – a neurological disease that’s genetic that I inherited from my daddy,” Jackson shared on The Today Show to Jenna Bush Hager. “There’s no cure for it, but it’s been affecting me for years. And it’s getting more and more obvious.”
“It’s not going to kill me – it’s not deadly,” Jackson continued, explaining Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disorder’s relationship to muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease. “I know I’m stumbling around onstage, and now I’m having a little trouble balancing even in front of a microphone. I’m just very uncomfortable. I was starting to get so self-conscious up there…so if anybody’s curious why I don’t walk right, that’s why. I just wanted the fans and the public to know. I don’t want ’em to think I’m drunk onstage because I’m having problems with mobility and balance.”
Jackson has been living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disorder since first being diagnosed a decade ago. Though rare and with no known cure, the disorder is inherited. For the “Chattahoochee” vocalist, his father and grandmother had it, and currently, his oldest sister has it, too. Regarding if the condition would impact his touring and recording schedule, Jackson offered, “I’m not saying I won’t be able to tour. I’ll try to do as much as I can. I don’t want people to be sad for me; it’s just part of life. I’ve had a wonderful, beautiful life. I’ve been so blessed. It’s just good to put it out there in the open. In some ways, it’s a relief.”
