LOS ANGELES TIMES – Alan Jackson postponed a pair of upcoming shows this weekend in Pittsburgh and Atlantic City, N.J., citing health concerns.
On Tuesday, the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City posted on social media that the country musician is “dealing with health issues” stemming from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited neurological condition that causes nerve damage mostly in the arms and legs and results in smaller, weaker muscles.
People with this condition may experience loss of sensation, muscle contractions and difficulty walking. There is no cure for the disease, but it is usually not life-threatening.
“I hoped I’d be able to be there; I hate to disappoint my fans,” Jackson wrote on his website. “I tried as much as I could to play this show at this time.”
Jackson has not scheduled a return date for his tour, but ticket holders for the postponed concerts were advised to hold on to their tickets because they will be honored for an unannounced date in 2023.
In 2021, the Country Music Hall of Fame member told NBC’s “Today” show that he has been living with the disease for longer than a decade and that it has started affecting his balance.
“I have this neuropathy and neurological disease,” Jackson said on the NBC morning show.
“It’s genetic that I inherited from my daddy … There’s no cure for it, but it’s been affecting me for years, and it’s getting more and more obvious. I know I’m stumbling around on stage. And now I’m having a little trouble balancing, even in front of the microphone, and so I just feel very uncomfortable …
What is CMT?
There are currently no treatments or cures for CMT.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, is a progressive, degenerative disease involving the peripheral nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord to other parts of the body, including the arms, hands, legs and feet. CMT was discovered in 1886 by doctors – Jean-Marie Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth – for whom the disorder was named.
Typically, the brain and nerves are constantly communicating with each other. But with CMT, the motor nerves (the nerves that control our muscles) and sensory nerves (the nerves that carry sensory information like pain and temperature to the brain) don’t work properly. They have trouble sending signals to and from the brain. This results in numbness and muscle weakness. Over time, the muscles weaken and deteriorate.
Symptoms may begin as early as birth or during adulthood, and they become gradually worse over time. SOURCE.
