See Glen Campbell's Amazing Guitar Solo in 'I'll Be Me'
Glen Campbell long ago cemented his status as music legend. Before earning nine Grammy Awards for such hit songs as “Gentle on My Mind” and “Rhinestone Cowboy,” the country icon was a de facto member of the Beach Boys. He hosted his own weekly variety show, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour (whose writing staff featured a young Steve Martin), and is among the most prolific recording artists around, having released more than 70 albums in his 50-year career.
But due to Alzheimer’s disease, that career is coming to a close. A year after being diagnosed in 2011, Campbell set out with his family on his final tour — which is documented in the film Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me, opening today.
In the above clip, we see Campbell in rare form, performing a breathtaking guitar solo in spite of his degenerative brain illness. Although Campbell needed the assistance of a teleprompter throughout the tour, he retained the muscle memory for intricate guitar work.
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Since the tour ended, Campbell’s condition continues to worsen — he is being treated in an Alzheimer’s facility — but he still picks up his guitar, says wife Kim.
"Glen is cheerful and healthy and living in the moment," she tells Yahoo Movies. "I am with him most every day and he is visited often by family members and many friends in the music industry here in Nashville, who come by just to hug him or play guitar for him. Glen can still play guitar a little, but it comes and goes.
"He has lost most of his language skills and he rarely understands anything anyone says to him. He can however, say short sentences like, ‘I love you!,’ and ‘We are so blessed!’ He understands smiles, hugs, and laughter. This comforts me because I know he is happy and at peace with God."
