Glen Campbell's Daughter Opens up About Her Dad's Battle With Alzheimer's

At the Nashville area assisted living facility where Glen Campbell now resides, he still enjoys listening to music from time to time, however, things have taken a turn for him over the past few years amid his battle with Alzheimer’s.

The iconic singer’s daughter Ashley opened up about her dad’s health in a new interview. “My dad is in his own world now,” the 30-year-old told The Mirror. He also has aphasia, which affects his speech, meaning he can no longer speak or understand language.

“He knows I’m there and I think he recognizes me as familiar, but I don’t think he recognizes me as Ashley, his daughter,” she added. “But sometimes as I sit playing and singing to him, he will close his eyes… and kind of smile.”

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A skilled session guitarist who worked with the Beach Boys and many other ‘60s bands, Glen parlayed his poster-boy looks and honey-sweet voice into a career as a pop-country superstar with singles like “Southern Nights” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” After an emotional farewell tour that ended in 2012, Glen checked into a Tennessee center where he can get full-time care.

This month, his farewell album, Adios, was released, which was recorded five years ago. “When we recorded it he could still sing these songs. And we could get him into the studio and he had so much joy being in the studio. So it was definitely, I think it was therapeutic for him as well,” Ashley said of the album.

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In a 2014 interview with Closer Weekly, his other daughter Debby told a sweet story about how she visited her father and they danced to Barbra Streisand.

“Dad started to two-step with me, and I began to lead because I thought he wouldn’t know what to do,” Debby told Closer. “He stopped dancing and said, ‘You don’t lead – I do!’ See, my dad was totally there.”

“The Wichita Lineman is still on the line,” says Debby, quoting one of her dad’s biggest hits. “He wants his loved ones with him.”

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Today, Glen is as happy as he can be. “He is doing so much better than a lot of other people in his position,” Ashley revealed. “Instead of being scared and confused all the time, he is just happy and loves being around people. And enjoys his desserts and all that. It’s nice to know that we have some kind of bright side in this dark situation.”

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