Great American music icon Glen Campbell, who created hits like ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’, ‘Wichita Lineman’ and ‘Gentle On My Mind’, was diagnosed with dementia in 2010. Following his diagnosis, he and his wife Kim made the monumental decision to go public with the diagnosis, and to allow cameras into his life and to follow him as he embarked on a farewell world tour. It would be the first time a major American celebrity would share this kind of experience with the world.
The tour, initially planned as a three-week engagement, became an emotional and triumphant 151 show tour de force, and the resulting documentary – I’ll Be Me – chronicles a story of love, resilience and the unstoppable power of music. Reviews said: “The heartrendingly honest Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me offers a window into Alzheimer’s that should prove powerful viewing for Campbell fans and novices alike.”
Campbell died in August 2017, leaving behind not only a staggering musical legacy, but having made an indelible impact on the way dementia was seen, discussed and understood across the United States and the rest of the world. You can watch the documentary on Netflix, and see Campbell singing ‘Not Gonna Miss You’, a song he wrote about dementia – which includes the lines ‘You’re the last person I will love / You’re the last face I will recall / And best of all, I’m not gonna miss you’ – below.
