Does Maurice White have Parkinson's

Answer 1

March 20, 2000, Maurice White, creator of Earth, Wind & Fire, recently announced that he has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for eight years. White disclosed the nature of his illness to the Associated Press just days before the legendary group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He's been absent from the public eye for almost a decade. In a statement, he said he revealed the illness because "I finally got over being in denial for so many years and now I want to set the record straight. Parkinson's doesn't affect my work at all. There's nothing that I could do before the diagnosis that I can't do now." Parkinson's disease is not life-threatening, but is an incurable neurological disease. Ex-boxer Muhammad Ali also suffers from it. Symptoms of the disease include slow movement, tremors on one side of the body, stiffness of limbs and balance problems. White's statement also said: "I first noticed tremors in my hand back in the late 1980s, but I kept performing with Earth, Wind & Fire for years, even after I was diagnosed. The rigors of the road are tough on even a healthy body, and I figured that after 35 years on the road, enough was enough. My doctors never told me to get off the road. It was always my decision to make." He is currently writing and producing music for the group's upcoming album that is due in stores in late summer. COPYRIGHT 2000 Johnson Publishing Co.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group