Country superstar Alan Jackson has been battling Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease for more than a decade, but he didn’t go public with his diagnosis until September 2021.
“I have this neuropathy and neurological disease,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member explained during a Today show interview at the time. “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.”
Abbreviated as CMT, Charcot-Marie-Tooth is a hereditary disorder that affects the nervous system, causing progressive loss of muscle tissue and loss of sensation in the arms and legs. Patients may also experience trouble balancing and difficulty walking.
As Jackson explained during his Today appearance, the disease doesn’t shorten life expectancy, but it can make movement extremely difficult — especially for a person used to performing on stage night after night.
“I’ve been reluctant to talk about this publicly and to my fans,” the “Chattahoochee” singer explained when revealing his battle with the disorder, which also affected his grandmother and sister. “It’s called CMT, ironically enough, because CMT was a big part of my career.”
The Grammy winner kicked off his final tour, titled Last Call With Alan, in 2022. He will play his final show in Nashville in June 2026.
Keep scrolling for everything Jackson has said about his battle with CMT:
