At the top of the most recent State of Mind vlog, host Maurice Benard gave viewers a most somber update on beloved soap veteran Lee Meriwether and her beloved daughter Kyle.
Lee Meriwether And Kyle Diagnosed With Alzheimer’s
Maurice began by telling viewers that he’d recently welcomed Kyle Oldham back to the show and the two had discussed her mother’s diagnosis. “It was an amazing interview,” he declared.
But Oldham had yet more to reveal to the host: “And then Kyle said, ‘I’ve got to tell you something: I have Alzheimer’s.’”
After digesting the shocking info, Maurice and Oldham then made a plan to document her struggle with the disease. Explains Benard, “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 So have her come in every six months, whatever it is.
“And then, 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.”
Meriwether, the winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant and an on-air personality at TODAY, had a string of acting credits to her name, though she’s probably best remembered for shimmying into a body suit to portray Catwoman in 1966’s camptastic Batman, sleuthing alongside Buddy Ebsen in Barnaby Jones, and assuming the part of Martin family matriarch Ruth in All My Children. (Mary Fickett, who originated the role, was also stricken with Alzheimer’s.)
Oldham, herself an actress and spokesmodel, spent 14 years on The Price Is Right before health issues forced her to retire.
Below you can view Kyle Oldham’s inaugural appearance on State of Mind in full.
Daily Drama sends the mother-daughter pair our sincerest best wishes.
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