Jay Leno’s Wife Mavis Struggles To Recognize Him Due To ‘Advanced Dementia’
Jay Leno's wife is reportedly suffering from a memory decline because of her ongoing battle with "advanced dementia."
Mavis Leno's lawyer, Ronald Ostrin, filed a report with the court on Thursday saying that he supports the conservatorship filed by the former "Tonight Show" host in January, and Mavis does too, according to ABC 7.
Included in the report was a statement from the 77-year-old philanthropist's neurologist, Dr. Hart Cohen, confirming that Mavis not only fails to remember her birthday nor her husband Jay but also has "a lot of disorientation" and "ruminates about her parents who have both passed, (including) her mother who died about 20 years ago."
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(Photo : Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Mavis first consulted with Cohen after she had a car accident in 2018 and has since been under the doctor's care.
Ostrin added that he "received and reviewed substantial medical records which supported Dr. Cohen's opinion."
RELATED: Jay Leno Files For Conservatorship Over Wife Mavis Following Her Dementia Diagnosis
In the new docs submitted by Ostrin, Cohen described the comedian as a husband who "loves his wife very much and waited to bring this matter out of respect to her."
"He said that Mr. Leno was a nice man and treats Mavis like gold."
(Photo : Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
In late January, the 73-year-old TV host-comedian filed for conservatorship over his wife after her Alzheimer's diagnosis to manage her affairs and ensure she would be taken care of in case he passes away before her.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Meanwhile, dementia is the umbrella term for "loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life."
According to the court documents filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court petition on Jan. 26, the conservatorship will allow Jay to execute estate plans, providing for his wife and his wife's brother, who is her sole living heir aside from him.
"Jay is fully capable of continuing support for Mavis' physical and financial needs, as he has throughout their marriage," the petition indicated.
The hearing for the conservatorship petition is scheduled for next Tuesday, April 9.
Jay and Mavis first met in January 1976 when the latter visited his set at Los Angeles' Comedy Store. After years of dating, they eventually walked down the aisle in November 1980.
When the veteran TV host appeared as a guest on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in September last year, he reflected on his 40 years of marriage with his wife and shared the secret to their long-lasting marriage.
"Marry the person you wish you could be... that's worked out for me. To me, I married the perfect [person]," he told the "American Idol" alum at the time.
