Lee Meriwether and Her Daughter, Kyle, Both Have Alzheimer’s
At the start of his most recent State of Mind vlog, Maurice Benard (Sonny, GENERAL HOSPITAL) had some heartbreaking news to deliver about a fellow member of the soap opera community.
As Benard explained to the camera, he recently welcomed back Kyle Oldham — the daughter of ALL MY CHILDREN legend Lee Meriwether (Ruth) — for a second State of Mind episode. During their conversation, Oldham revealed that her 88-year-old mother has Alzheimer’s. “We talked about her mother having Alzheimer’s, and it was an amazing interview,” the actor shared.
But that’s not all that Oldham, 64, confessed to Benard. The former PRICE IS RIGHT model revealed that she, too, has been diagnosed with the brain disorder. “And then Kyle said, ‘I’ve got to tell you something: I have Alzheimer’s,’” a shocked Benard relayed.
While Oldham’s most recent visit with Benard will debut in the next few weeks, she agreed to make future State of Mind visits to educate viewers on the effects of the disease. “We decided as she progresses, she was going to come in again so the audience could see with their eyes what Alzheimer’s does to someone,” he explained. “So have her come in every six months, whatever it is.
“And then,” Benard sadly added, “I started to cry because I came to realize that there’s going to be a time when she can’t come in. So you guys will be watching that coming up in the — who knows how long? Couple years. It’s going to be sad, but beautiful at the same time.”
The winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant, Meriwether began her acting career in the ’60s and famously played Catwoman in the Batman movie. She appeared in multiple movies and television shows (including a long run on BARNABY JONES) before joining the world of daytime. Before AMC, she played Ann on THE YOUNG MARRIEDS from 1964 to ’66. She replaced Mary Fickett as the Martin family matriarch in 1996 and appeared on and off in the role until 2011.
As for Oldham, the actress and spokesmodel appeared on THE PRICE IS RIGHT for over 14 years until health issues forced her to step aside.
Please join us in sending our best wishes to both Oldham and Meriwether as they navigate the difficult road ahead of them.
