Glen Campbell’s extraordinary life and musical legacy are explored in a critically-acclaimed film to be exclusively broadcast on CNN/U.S. on Sunday, June 28. CNN Films Presents: GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME will be presented with limited commercial interruptions on the network at 9:00pm, with an encore at 10:48pm Eastern and is sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company.
The film explores Campbell’s brave decision to go public with his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. After receiving the devastating diagnosis, together with his wife Kim, Campbell decided to complete one last album and say farewell to his fans in a final tour that expanded from the original five-week goodbye to fans, to 151 sold out shows over 18 months.
In association with the CNN Films Presents broadcast, CNN.com has created and curated content related to Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on people and families. There are medical facts about the disease, a digital short film about one man’s ‘cruel journey’ with Alzheimer’s, and a look into Glen Campbell’s experience through excerpts of the film. CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will report for a digital series on the latest progress in Alzheimer’s research. The special content can be found by visiting www.cnn.com/glencampbell. Also preceding the film’s broadcast, Glen Campbell’s wife, Kim Campbell and CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will answer questions on Facebook at 12:00pm Eastern on Friday, June 26. Facebook users can connect with both of them with their questions about the disease, and the challenges facing families and loved ones with relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s, via www.Facebook.com/CNN.
The film captures this amazing journey that included a stop in Washington, DC, where the Campbell family testified before Congress and lobbied members for more research funding for a cure – meeting with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, among others.
A custom public service message about advances in Alzheimer’s medical research will follow the presentation of the film. CNN’s Impact Your World will gather resources for families and sufferers of Alzheimer’s online at www.cnn.com/impact.
This portrait of the extraordinary five-time Grammy Award®-winning artist also includes cameos with a wide array of dynamic artists including Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Paul McCartney, The Edge, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, John Carter Cash, Sheryl Crow, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Larry Gatlin, and Brad Paisley, as they comment on Campbell’s legacy and how his inspiration for their work. Archival footage in the film captures some of the ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’s’ most remarkable performances and appearances including Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, and the Beach Boys.