Recently, country music superstar Alan Jackson revealed that he was living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a degenerative nerve condition affecting his ability to tour and perform. “I’ve been hesitant to talk about it publicly and to my fans, but I have this neuropathy – a genetic neurological disease that I inherited from my father,” he explained to Jenna Bush Hager on the show The Today Show. “There’s no cure for it, but it’s been affecting me for years. And it’s becoming more and more obvious.
“It’s not going to kill me, it’s not fatal,” Jackson continued, explaining the relationship between Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder and muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease. “I know I trip on stage, and now I’m having a little trouble with my balance in front of a microphone. I’m just very uncomfortable. I was starting to get so self-conscious on stage…so if anyone is curious as to why I don’t walk well, this is the reason. I just wanted the fans and the public to know that. I don’t want them to think I’m drunk on stage because I have mobility and balance issues.