Alan Jackson Reveals He Has A Degenerative Nerve Condition

Country music icon, Alan Jackson revealed on the Today show Tuesday morning that he has been living with a degenerative nerve condition for the last decade.

Jackson said he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie Tooth disease about ten years ago. The disease is inherited as Jackson shares that his grandmother, father, and one of his sisters all have lived with the disorder too. According to Mayo Clinic, the disease causes nerve damage largely in the arms and legs, can cause muscle contractions, a loss of sensation and difficulty walking. Jackson says he doesn’t need assistance to walk yet, “but he will.”

There’s no cure for the disease, but Jackson points out that “it is related to Parkinson’s Disease or Muscular Dystrophy.” He says it’s been affecting him for years, but has been getting “more and more obvious.” He says, “I know I’m stumbling around onstage. And now I’m having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel uncomfortable.”

Jackson says it’s a “relief” to share the news because he’s been getting “self-conscious” about how he looks onstage and doesn’t know how long he’ll continue to tour. Watch the full-length 30-minute interview below.

Cover Photo: Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File