Twenty-one years ago today, Glen Campbell, who notoriously struggled with addiction, started serving his 10-night jail sentence and two years of probation after a November 2003 drunk-driving hit-and-run accident in Arizona.
Campbell pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and extreme driving under the influence. Extreme DUI translates to a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or higher. According to a breathalyzer test, Campbell had a 0.20 blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest. The legal limit for Arizona drivers is 0.08.
Police arrested Campbell near his Phoenix home after he left the scene of the minor accident. A police officer accused the singer of kneeing him while the officer took Campbell into custody. An aggravated assault charge was later dropped.
Judge John Buttrick of Maricopa County Superior Court sentenced Campbell to 10 days in county jail but allowed for a work furlough from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day to accommodate his full-time rehearsal and practice schedule. Under the terms of his probation, the 68-year-old actor and singer was prohibited from drinking. And that was just fine with Campbell.
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Glen Campbell: “Believe You Me”
“Believe you me, I think that’s the last you’ve seen of Glen Campbell putting alcohol in his veins,” Campbell told Judge Buttrick, according to the Associated Press.
Buttrick also sentenced Campbell to 75 hours of community service and fined $900.
Campbell’s attorney, Larry Kazan, said the accident happened while the singer was in the throes of alcoholism. However, by sentencing, Kazan said Campbell had faced his struggle and had a “rosy prognosis” from doctors.
“They say there’s a first time for everything; that’s what this is like,” the AP reported Campbell said in court. “I wish it would have happened a long time ago so I wouldn’t have to go through this now.”
The singer lived in Arizona for more than two decades before relocating to Nashville with his family so his daughter, Ashley, could pursue a career in country music. Campbell’s hit songs include “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Galveston,” and “Gentle on My Mind.”
Ten years after his jail sentence, Campbell was battling Alzheimer’s disease, and his family was preparing to release a movie about his journey through his decline. Award-winning director and producer James Keach documented Campbell’s passage through the disease over a two-and-a-half-year period for inclusion in the documentary Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me.
Glen Campbell Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease
Dr. Robert Petersen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., diagnosed Glen Campbell in 2011. Campbell stared at a scan of his brain on a computer screen, and Peterson used his pen to highlight the portion of his brain responsible for memory. Campbell interrupted to ask if “that butterfly is in there on purpose.”Petersen patiently explained the butterfly-shaped area was water space in the brain. With the next movement of his pen, the doctor pointed to the spot in the photo that indicated Campbell had Alzheimer’s disease.
Doctors had previously told the Country Music Hall of Famer he probably had the degenerative brain disorder, but this test and its undeniable image of Campbell’s shrunken hippocampus confirmed it.
Campbell’s wife, Kim Woolen, told The Tennessean that until then, the family was “hopeful that something else was causing (his memory loss).”
His diagnosis came near the start of Campbell’s tour to promote his last album, “Ghost on the Canvas.” Campbell’s memory was failing him — he didn’t know the date, the year, the season, or that George Washington was the first president of the United States.
Campbell wanted to do the final tour to support his album. Doctors told Woolen that continuing to perform would keep her husband’s brain engaged.
“He Wanted People to Understand What it’s Like to Have Alzheimer’s”
Previous to learning that Campbell had Alzheimer’s disease, the family had reached out to Keach to document his final tour. The director didn’t know if he wanted to continue upon learning of the diagnosis.
“It was hard to conceive of making a piece of entertainment about a man with Alzheimer’s,” said Keach, who also produced the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line.
After meeting the singer/actor and his family, Keach was firmly on board.
“He wanted people to understand what it’s like to have Alzheimer’s and just continue to make the most of each day,” Woolen told The Tennessean. “He wanted to encourage people. (Glen) wanted to raise awareness. He was adamant that we make this film, so hopefully it will lead to a cure being found someday, hopefully it will be a catalyst for research and funding.”
Keach originally signed on to film for five weeks. He stayed for 151 shows and 2 ½ years.
Campbell’s family announced he died after “a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease” on Aug. 8, 2017. He was 81.
(Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)
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