Death and disease do not look anyone in the face, they affect famous people and ordinary people alike.
Parkinson’s disease is certainly no exception. There were many famous people , of historical, sporting or cultural importance, affected by this terrible disease : from the famous boxer Muhammad Ali to the journalist Vincenzo Mollica, from the actor Robin Williams to Pope John Paul II.
November 30th is the tenth anniversary of the national day of Parkinson’s disease , ” a degenerative and progressive motor disorder classified as a brain disease “, as explained on the website of the Umberto Veronesi Foundation. It is a terrible disease for which no cure has yet been found , but only treatments that help those affected manage their symptoms (tremor at rest, rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability, depression and dementia).
On this occasion, we remember the most famous people affected by this terrible disease who, like ordinary people, together with their caregivers have made or deal with this disease daily.
Let’s discover together 10 famous people affected by Parkinson’s disease:
Pope John Paul II
The first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease were found in 1991, when Pope John Paul II was struck by a persistent tremor in his left hand . Those who are more adult then remember the progressive difficulty of the Holy Father in pronouncing the words , another terrible consequence of the disease. Around 2000, the advance of the disease led Pope John Paul II to have motor problems, which however did not prevent him from continuing to travel the world.
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali ( born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr ) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by Dr. Abe Lieberman in 1984 when the boxer was 42 years old. He is suspected to have played a major role in his boxing career in contracting the disease . After his death on June 3, 2016, Dr. Abe Lieberman said: “ I don’t think boxing was the cause of Ali contracting Parkinson’s. Even if I can’t be one hundred percent sure “.
Robin Williams
Actor Robin Williams also suffered from Parkinson’s disease . His life ended tragically: the actor, famous for films like ( The fleeting moment , Patch Adams , etc.) took his own life at the age of 63. His wife Susan Schneider, after her death, recalling her husband’s courage, wrote in a statement ” he was struggling with depression, anxiety and even a Parkinson’s principle , of which he was not yet ready to speak publicly ” .
Vincenzo Mollica
A very talented journalist, writer and designer and never without compliments to the stars, Vincenzo Mollica is one of the symbolic faces of Italian TV. Some time ago, it became public knowledge that, after blindness, he was also affected by Parkinson’s disease . In a recent interview with Corriere della Sera , Vincenzo Mollica said with great self-irony: “ Hands that tremble? That and Parkinson’s disease. I do not miss anything . I also have diabetes. I am a skilled orchestrator of medicines “.
Michael J. Fox
We all remember him in the Back to the Future saga as 18-year-old Marty McFly, not everyone knows that Michael J. Fox has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for a long time, since 1991. His was one of the cases in which the disease occurred manifested early , in fact, to the famous actor and was diagnosed at the age of 30 . In an interview with the New York Times , Michael J. Fox said about his relationship with the disease: “ I developed a relationship with Parkinson’s where I gave him a room to do what he needs to do.. This left me with areas to fulfill and improve. Accepting the disease does not mean giving up. It means understanding it and facing it directly, without pretending that it doesn’t exist “.
Katharine Hepburn
Great actress who has undoubtedly written a piece of film history, Katharine Hepburn was suffering from Parkinson’s disease . She is the actress and she passed away in 2003 at the age of 96. Everyone remembers her in iconic films like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? , On the Golden Lake and Little Women . During her career she had 12 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress .
Salvador Dali
A team of scientists from the University of Liverpool conducted a fractal analysis on 2092 paintings by 7 different artists , assuming that starting from the repetition of some geometric figures, some signals could emerge that could indicate the presence of neurodegenerative disorders in the artist . According to this research, Salvador Dali suffered from Parkinson’s disease .
Vincent Price
Attore di acclarata fama, Vincent Price fu un’icona dei film horror negli ’50 e ’60. Interpreto sopratutto ruoli da “cattivo”, e ricordato per il suo ruolo da protagonista in L’abominevole dottor Phibes. Stimatissimo dal celebre regista Tim Burton che lo volle a tutti i costi nel cast di Edward mani di forbice anche se fu costretto a ridimensionare la sua presenza in scena a causa del morbo di Parkinson di cui era affetto.
Johnny Cash
E stato forse l’interprete piu rappresentativo della musica country e del folk americano, Johnny Cash ha venduto piu di 90milioni di dischi. A lui e alla sua straordinaria vita fatta di alti e bassi sono state dedicate numerose opere, tra cinema e letteratura, non ultimo il film Quando l’amore brucia l’anima, in cui il suo personaggio viene interpretato da Joaquin Phoenix. Nel 1997, la sua portavoce riferi che i dottori avevano diagnosticato a Johnny Cash il morbo di Parkinson. Nel 2003, quando aveva 71 anni, il musicista e deceduto, pochi mesi dopo la moglie June.
Giulio Natta
Al celebre scienziato Giulio Natta fu diagnosticato il morbo di Parkinson quando aveva 53 anni, nel 1956. La sua fu una vita trascorsa a condurre prestigiose ricerche e, insieme a Karl Ziegler, nel 1963 fu insignito del Premio Nobel per la chimica per le loro ricerche in campo chimico e della tecnologia dei polimeri. Mori a 76 anni a Bergamo, dove era curato dalla figlia, Franca.
