Burt Reynolds' Sad Last Days: Incontinence, Arthritis & Round-The-Clock Nursing Care!
Sep. 6 2018, Published 7:26 p.m. ET
Burt Reynolds, who died Thursday at the age of 82, spent his final days as a frail mess, as health issues ravaged his body. The Hollywood legend suffered from many embarrassing on-set health issues during his sad later years, and was seen recently wielding a cane and asking others for help walking around. Click through this RadarOnline.com gallery to learn more.
As late as March, during one of his final public appearances, Reynolds grasped a cane for balance, and needed others to take care of him as he stood up and sat down.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, Reynolds had been battling a number of health woes, including heart disease and arthritis.
According to sources, the Oscar nominee had round-the-clock nursing care at his home in Jupiter, Fla., and could no longer walk on his own.
On the set of his most recent release, The Last Movie Star, sources told RadarOnline.com that Reynolds suffered several humiliating bouts of incontinence.
Some friends feared Reynolds showed many of the signs of early Parkinson’s disease — a tremor in his hand, zero expression on his face and stiffness in his joints.
“On some days, Burt struggles to get off the couch,” an insider previously told RadarOnline.com. “He knows something is wrong but is refusing to see a specialist just in case it’s bad news.”
Reynolds had been working on writer and director Quentin Tarantino’s new movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a crime thriller that is due out next year.
Insiders say the aging actor never got over the recent deaths of those closest to him, including frequent co-star Dom DeLuise and Jim Neighbors, less than a year ago.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of Jim Neighbors’ passing- he was a great friend-we did several movies together,” Reynolds said in a statement given to TheWrap. “He had a big voice and a bigger zest for life – I loved him and so did millions of others.”
The same could be said for Burt.