On August 8, 2017, country music lost one of its greatest when Glen Campbell passed away following a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
Glen dealt with the disease in public for a while, and even went on tour after he announced his diagnosis. That final tour was filmed for the critically acclaimed documentary Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me.
One of Glen’s songs, titled “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” was included in the movie as its theme. The track went on to earn Glen his final Grammy Award.
Since Glen was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010 and battled it publicly since 2011, there’s a whole generation of country fans who only know the post-diagnosis stage of his career. That’s quite unfortunate when you think about it, since Glen enjoyed a fruitful career as a singer, guitar player, actor, and variety show host.
Those who only came to know Glen in his later years likely know nothing about how comical country music’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” could be. His humor came out in full force on his variety show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.
The following clip from the show features a skit between Glen and Tim Conway that left the studio audience in stitches.
On the one year anniversary of Glen’s death, his daughter, Ashley, opted to honor him by remembering that silly side of his personality. Ashley briefly shared some thoughts about her father’s death on Instagram, writing that it was his sense of humor that she was missing most.
While it was surely an emotional day for Ashley, she was able to find some happiness in an old photo of her father. She shared that photo with her followers, hoping that it would bring them a bit of joy on such a sad day.
The photo shows Glen looking happy and silly as ever, as he wore a curly red wig reminiscent of the orphan Annie. “On a day like today when I am feeling the sting of loss, I can smile at his silly wig photo,” Ashley wrote.
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She closed her post by mentioning how much her father “loved to make people laugh.” So in his honor, she encouraged everyone to “laugh, love and live.”
Ashley also helped honor her father by participating in the music video for his song “Adiós.”
Released just weeks before his death, the video features Ashley and some of Glen’s other family members as they help him say farewell to all who ever loved him. You can watch that emotional video below.
We’d like to hear from y’all…what are some of your favorite memories of Glen?