Alan Alda has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he revealed to CBS News on Tuesday.
But the actor, director, and all-around entertainment guru doesn't want fans to be sad about it. "I'm doing great. You might be surprised to hear that," Alda shared on CBS This Morning. "I was diagnosed three-and-a-half years ago, and I've had a full life since then."
The 82-year-old sparked his long career playing "Hawkeye" Pierce on the TV series M*A*S*H in 1972, and has since appeared in dozens of films and shows, ranging from the serious to the hilarious. And Alda's diagnosis has seemingly coincided with an even busier schedule: He has given talks, trains scientists and entrepreneurs to become better communicators, and launched a podcast about human connection, which inspired Tuesday's announcement.
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"I had been on television a lot in the last couple of weeks talking about the new podcast, and I could see my thumb twitch in some shots," Alda said. "I thought it's probably only a matter of time before somebody does a story about this from a sad point of view, but that's not where I am."
Alda has only seen minor symptoms in the past few years, and he wanted to shed some light on what it's like to receive an early Parkinson's diagnosis. "To be immobilized by fear and think the worst thing has happened to you — it hasn't happened to you. You still have things you can do," Alda optimistically explained. It's just a matter of figuring out "what I have to adapt to to carry on a normal life."
Watch Alda's full announcement on CBS. Kathryn Krawczyk
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