Glen Campbell's golden years have been dimmed by his struggle with Alzheimer's disease, diagnosed in 2011. But the Country Music Hall of Fame member and native Arkansan sought to bow out of the limelight with dignity and grace.
He held a lengthy farewell tour, recorded a critically acclaimed final album and shared his story in a documentary, Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me. His youngest daughter, Ashley, now 28, asked Congress for resources to combat the disease.
And he's received much in return -- a 2012 Grammy lifetime achievement award, an Alzheimer's Association award created and named for him in 2014, and another Grammy this year for his final song, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You."
Campbell, 79, has lived in a long-term-care facility in Nashville, Tenn., since last year. His wife, Kim, says she visits him daily. Two of their children visit weekly.
But what could be a tranquil twilight has been marred by a family dispute. Two children from previous marriages -- Debby Campbell-Cloyd, 58, and Travis Campbell, 49 -- earlier this year sued in an attempt to take control of Campbell's medical and financial decisions. Campbell-Cloyd has criticized the decision to place her father in a facility instead of returning him to his Arizona home.
According to the court petition filed in January in Nashville, Campbell-Cloyd and Travis Campbell said their stepmother kept their father "secluded from the rest of the family," which has been "prohibited from participating in his care and/or treatment." The petition asked a judge to appoint conservators and a guardian to protect Glen Campbell's interests, The Associated Press reported. The petition also criticized the facility.
In April, Campbell's children and their stepmother reached a tentative agreement, which dropped the lawsuit and allowed them to see their father twice a month after giving at least seven days' notice, reported a columnist for the New York Post.
Campbell's wife is his fourth, and she is more than 20 years his junior. But she's not exactly new on the scene. The two wed more than 32 years ago and have three grown children.
"It is crushingly sad to see him afflicted with Alzheimer's, but indulging those feelings does not help him," Kim Campbell previously told the AP in response to criticism from Campbell-Cloyd. "I am his wife, and no one wants him home more than me, but I must do what is in his best interest."
"He's not missing out on anything," Ashley told Rolling Stone magazine. "He's being taken care of by people who love him and are making sure he has everything he needs," she said, adding that no family member has been denied a visit.
In June, Campbell's longtime songwriting friend Jimmy Webb posted on Facebook a detailed, positive account of the facility and Campbell's treatment.
"I am sure that Kim has made the right choices for and with my friend of 50 years," Webb wrote.
Contact Linda S. Haymes at (501) 399-3636 or lhaymes@arkansasonline.com
SundayMonday on 07/05/2015