Glen Campbell passed away on August 8, 2017, six years after he announced he was battling Alzheimer’s disease. In 2014, Campbell released the final single of his career, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You“. Written by Campbell and Julian Raymond, the song is part of the Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me documentary, chronicling his extraordinary life and career.
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“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” is a bold and honest look at Campbell’s life as his memory slipped away. The song says in part, “I’m still here, but yet I”m gone / I don’t play guitar or sing my songs / They never defined who I am / The man that loves you ’til the end / 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 / Not gonna miss you.”
By the time “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” was released, Campbell’s memory was quickly deteriorating. But Raymond reportedly wrote down things Campbell said to him, even as Alzheimer’s was progressing, using those words to write “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear,” Woollen said at the time. “On the other side, he’s saying, ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m gonna be OK. You’re the one who’s gonna have a hard time.’ And it’s true because he doesn’t know the pain we’re going through. It is heartbreaking every single day. Sometimes, I’m really depressed.”
Glen Campbell And His Brave Battle With Alzheimer’s Disease
For more than 50 years, Campbell remained part of country music, also enjoying crossover hits, plus a lengthy career as an actor. His career came to an end due to the effects of Alzheimer’s.
When Campbell announced the news in 2011, he wanted to continue making music for as long as possible.
“I still love making music,” Campbell told People. “And I still love performing for my fans. I’d like to thank them for sticking with me through thick and thin.”
Campbell did one final tour, Glen Campbell: The Goodbye Tour, before retiring from the road. In 2015, Woollen moved her husband into a memory care facility.
“I felt I had no choice. … I had done what was best for Glen, me, and our children,” Woollen says (via the Alzheimer’s Association). “I climbed into bed that night with peace of mind. I wasn’t breaking my marriage vows; I was keeping them. I was taking care of my husband ‘in sickness,’ as I had ‘in health.’
Even as his memory was fading, Campbell wanted to share his struggle with the world, which is why he did both the final tour and the documentary.
“He said it was the most important thing that he was doing at the time,” Woollen says (per People). “He knew he was trying to show the world what living with Alzheimer’s was like because he wanted to help find a cure.”
In 2014, Campbell won a Grammy for Best Country Song for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”.
Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
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