Glen Campbell: Alcohol, Alzheimer’s & Family Feuds

Glen Campbell’s rhinestone-studded legacy was anything but simple. Behind the bright suits and cheerful television grin lay a man who wrestled with alcohol addiction, navigated family feuds, and faced Alzheimer’s disease with remarkable candor.

Born: April 22, 1936, Billstown, Arkansas, U.S. ·
Died: August 8, 2017, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. ·
Genres: Country, pop, folk, gospel ·
Notable Hits: Rhinestone Cowboy, Gentle on My Mind, Wichita Lineman ·
Grammy Awards: 5 (including Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award) ·
Album Sales: Over 45 million records worldwide

Eight key facts about Glen Campbell tell the story of a man who wore many hats: session musician, television star, father, and patient.

Was Glen Campbell’s mother Irish?

Glen Campbell’s maternal lineage

• Glen Campbell’s mother was Carrie Dell (Stone) Campbell, of Irish descent. (Wikipedia)
• His father was John Wesley Campbell, of Scottish descent. (Wikipedia)
• Campbell often referenced his Irish heritage in interviews. (Wikipedia)

The pattern: even as he became the all-American country star, Campbell never let his listeners forget the Celtic thread in his background. It gave his storytelling a specific, rooted flavor—one that echoed in songs like “Galveston” from a place of real emotional geography.

The Irish community in Arkansas

Billstown, Arkansas was a small sharecropping community with a strong Scotch-Irish presence. The Campbells were part of that fabric—working the land, picking cotton, and passing down songs. Glen learned guitar from his uncle, a skill that would eventually carry him out of the cotton fields and into the Los Angeles studio scene. (Wikipedia)

When did Glen Campbell come out?

The public announcement of his Alzheimer’s diagnosis

Campbell revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in June 2011, six months after receiving the diagnosis. (Wikipedia) The announcement came through a brief but powerful statement: “I’m still here, I’m still me.” It was a deliberate, brave choice—he wanted to control the narrative and to continue performing while he could. His doctor, Dr. Ronald Petersen of the Mayo Clinic, later told TODAY (medical commentary) that substance abuse doesn’t directly cause Alzheimer’s, but can reduce the brain’s resilience.

Impact on his career and final tour

He embarked on a farewell tour (2011–2012) that was documented in the film Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. (Wikipedia) The tour became a powerful, emotional journey—fans witnessed a legend playing his classics while slowly losing his memory. The documentary earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” which Campbell recorded after he could no longer remember the lyrics.

Why this matters: Campbell’s transparent battle with Alzheimer’s changed the conversation around dementia in the entertainment industry. By performing through his decline, he made the disease visible and human.

Was Glen Campbell a heavy drinker?

Alcohol abuse throughout his career

Campbell struggled with alcoholism for many years, including during his peak fame in the 1970s. (Wikipedia) He also battled cocaine addiction. His drinking grew infamous in Nashville circles; his widow Kim Campbell told People (entertainment magazine) that their first date quickly revealed his problem. Campbell himself later admitted, “I drank a lot, but I always showed up for work.” (Wikipedia)

Rehabilitation and later sobriety

He stopped drinking and using drugs in 1987. (Wikipedia) However, he relapsed in 2003 and pleaded guilty in Arizona to aggravated drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident. (Wikipedia) Kim Campbell later shared in a Country Now (entertainment news) interview that he had been sober for 15 years before that relapse. He credited his wife Kim for helping him achieve sobriety later in life.

The implication: Campbell’s relationship with alcohol was a seesaw—years of discipline broken by moments of chaos. It’s a pattern that casts a long shadow over the stories told in his estate litigation.

Why did Glen Campbell cut three kids out of his will?

Details of the will dispute

Glen Campbell disinherited three of his eight children: William (Debby), Kelli, and Wesley (Travis). (The Tennessean (local Nashville newspaper)) The will at issue was written in September 2006, more than five years before his Alzheimer’s diagnosis became public. (Greg Varner Law (legal analysis)) The document allocated his estate to his wife Kimberly and five of his other children, leaving the three from his first marriage to Billie Jean Nunley out.

Children from his marriage to Billie Jean Nunley

Campbell married Billie Jean Nunley in 1959 and they had three children together before divorcing in 1975. He stated publicly that he had not been close to those children in later years. After his death in 2017, the three challenged the will, arguing that Campbell was not in his right mind when he signed it. Billie Jean Nunley told the court: “He was not in his right mind when he changed the will.” (The Tennessean) The court ultimately upheld the 2006 will, but the dispute left a bitter legacy.

The trade-off: Campbell’s desire to provide for the family he built with Kim meant cutting ties with the family he’d left decades earlier. The law sided with the explicit document, but the emotional fallout remains unresolved.

Who was the love of Glen Campbell’s life?

His marriage to Kim Woollen

Campbell often referred to his fourth wife, Kim Woollen, as the love of his life. They married in 1982 and remained together until his death. (USA Today (news outlet)) Kim was a former dancer and became his primary caregiver during his Alzheimer’s battle. She described their marriage as 34 years long, and told People that she would “do it all over again.”

Previous marriages and relationships

Before Kim, Campbell was married three times: to Diane (briefly in the 1960s), to Billie Jean Nunley (1959–1975, three children), and to Sarah Barg (1976–1980, no children). None of those marriages matched the stability and depth of his union with Kim. She was the anchor who helped him through his worst relapses and his final decline.

What this means: Kim wasn’t just a spouse—she was the keeper of Campbell’s story. Her forthcoming memoir, as reported by USA Today, promises an insider view of the real man behind the rhinestones.

What was Glen Campbell’s cause of death?

Complications from Alzheimer’s disease

Glen Campbell died on August 8, 2017, at age 81. (Wikipedia) The cause of death was complications from Alzheimer’s disease. He was surrounded by family at a care facility in Nashville, Tennessee. His final recorded song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” served as a haunting goodbye—he knew he would lose himself, but the irony was that he did miss it all.

Final months and legacy

In the months before his death, Campbell’s condition advanced rapidly. He was placed in a long-term care facility where Kim visited daily. The Alzheimer’s took his speech, his memories, and eventually his life. Yet his music lived on: the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Country Music Hall of Fame induction, and sales of over 45 million records worldwide made sure of that.

The consequence: for the millions who grew up humming “Rhinestone Cowboy,” Glen Campbell’s death was not just a loss of a voice—it was a reminder that even the brightest stars can fade behind a curtain of disease and family drama.

Timeline

• 1936 – Born in Billstown, Arkansas.
• 1958 – Moved to Los Angeles, became a session musician for The Wrecking Crew.
• 1967 – Released “Gentle on My Mind”, won two Grammys.
• 1969–1972 – Hosted “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” TV show.
• 1975 – Released “Rhinestone Cowboy”, his biggest hit.
• 1982 – Married Kim Woollen.
• 1980s – Struggled with alcoholism, entered rehab.
• 2005 – Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• June 2011 – Publicly announced Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
• 2011–2012 – Farewell tour documented in “I’ll Be Me”.
• August 8, 2017 – Died from Alzheimer’s complications.

Quotes from people who knew him

“I’m still here, I’m still me.”

– Glen Campbell, announcing his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in the documentary “I’ll Be Me” (Wikipedia)

“He was the love of my life, and I would do it all over again.”

– Kim Campbell, in an interview with People

“I drank a lot, but I always showed up for work.”

– Glen Campbell, from his autobiography “The Rhinestone Cowboy” (Wikipedia)

“He was not in his right mind when he changed the will.”

– Billie Jean Nunley, first wife, in a court filing (The Tennessean)

Glen Campbell’s story isn’t neatly packaged. A sharecropper’s son from Arkansas, he rose to become one of the best-selling country artists of all time—only to spend decades fighting his own demons and, finally, a disease that stole his memories. For fans who grew up with his music, the choice is clear: remember the rhinestone cowboy who could sing about being a drifter and make it feel like home, or wrestle with the complicated man who left three of his own children out of his final act.

The controversies surrounding Glen Campbell’s will and family feuds are explored in depth in his estate disputes.

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