Family: Gene Wilder didn't reveal his Alzheimer's diagnosis in order to keep fans smiling

Gene Wilder.
(Image credit: Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

When the family of Gene Wilder announced Monday that he died at 83 from complications due to Alzheimer's, many were shocked to hear he had been living with the disorder for the past three years. In a statement, they explained why the actor decided to keep his diagnosis private.

The decision to wait to disclose Wilder's condition had nothing to do with "vanity," his nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman wrote, "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 simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.