He's a familiar face to most of us who are a little older (I'm 45) seemed like he was always coaching somewhere in the NFL. This is only a little over 4 minutes but man it's tough to watch. That disease takes the life out of people. http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=20896213
I just lost my mother-in-law this past weekend to Alzheimer's. It is rough because the person dies before their body. They become a different person, and if you are not prepared for it, it can throw you a hay-maker.
My mom had it too. It's tough when you're own mother doesn't recognize you any more. I kept having to remind myself that the Mom I always knew was already dead, just waiting for her body to catch up.
It's worse than cancer, there's no hope. I'd say it's comparable to ALS as far as diseases you don't want, except that Stephen Hawking has lived a pretty good life with ALS for decades. I can't think of a single similar example with Alz.