Gene Wilder kept his disease a secret
The legendary comedian’s purpose was to make people smile no matter what, that’s why he believed it would be better to keep the not-so-pleasant things to himself. When he lost his life in 2016, his cause of death was released by US Weekly, mentioning ‘complications from Alzheimer’s disease.’
Even though the public did not know this, Gene Wilder was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and struggled with it for three years, until his death. As his family shared after his death, he wanted to keep his disease a secret because he wanted to protect the smiles of his beloved fans, instead of giving them a reason to be sad.
They also mentioned that Wilder didn’t hide his disease out of vanity, “but more so that the countless young children that would smile or call out to him ‘there’s Willy Wonka,’ would not have to be then exposed to an adult referencing illness or trouble and causing delight to travel to worry, disappointment or confusion.”
He didn’t want to erase the smile on other people’s faces, his family added.
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