Hollywood Legend Gives Heartbreaking Health Update

Alan Alda may be nearly 90, but the legendary actor isn’t slowing down without a fight—or a laugh.

The MASH* icon, known for his quick wit and warm screen presence, revealed that managing his Parkinson’s disease has become “almost a full-time job.” Speaking to People magazine, Alda said it’s a constant juggling act of little fixes and daily adjustments. But he’s not letting it bring him down.

“Almost every day I’m finding a new way to do something,” he said. “It’s a little like a game… and then I feel like a million bucks. It’s a way to have a good time under poor circumstances.”

Despite the challenges, Alda is still very much in the game. He recently made a guest appearance in Tina Fey’s Netflix reboot of his 1981 film The Four Seasons, which has already been renewed for a second season.

In the show, Alda plays a character who’s always quoting his wife—a funhouse mirror of his real life. He and his wife Arlene, now 92, have been married for 68 years. Their love story began in college, when they were the only two people at a party who didn’t flinch at eating a rum cake that fell on the floor.

“[I knew she was the one] when we ate the cake off the floor,” Alda said with a smile. “We still laugh at each other’s jokes, and she’s getting funnier every day.”

As Alda deals with the physical limitations Parkinson’s brings, Arlene is always nearby, ready to step in—sometimes literally. “I don’t have dexterity with my fingers the way I used to, so sometimes she has to tear a package open for me,” he shared. “I don’t get proud. Proud seems like a waste of time.”

His humility and humor were evident even when revisiting one of television’s most iconic moments—the final episode of MASH*, which Alda directed. Over 106 million people tuned in, making it one of the most-watched TV broadcasts of all time.

But it didn’t go off without a hitch.

“The outdoor set burned to the ground just before we were supposed to film,” Alda recalled. “So I rewrote the script over the weekend and added a fire into the storyline. That’s showbiz.”

As for the secret to a lasting marriage, Alda swears by Arlene’s advice: “The secret to marriage is a short memory.”

That mindset seems to have helped them weather everything—from falling cake to fame, and now, the slow march of Parkinson’s. Still, Alan Alda’s days are far from quiet.

“I’m always saying thank you,” he said. “Because I’m just glad I can still do something.”