PAUL NEWMAN’s widow Joanne Woodward is ravaged by deadly Alzheimer’s disease and may soon be facing her final curtain call, pals fear.
Sources say the frail 83-year old, who won an Oscar for 1957’s “The Three Faces of Eve”, has become a virtual recluse as the dreaded incurable disease slowly steals her mental faculties.
Although she’s under the care of her daughter Lissy, 52, insiders say the Hollywood icon is so out of it, she’s oblivious to her children’s bitter infighting over their father’s estate.
Instead, Joanne has been overheard talking to Newman, who died from cancer in 2008 at age 83, say sources.
Joanne sometimes “thinks Paul is still alive,” says a source.
Adds a friend who lives near Newman’s widow in Westport, Conn., “Poor Joanne sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night and cries out to Paul to the effect that ‘it won’t be long now’ that she’ll be joining him in the hereafter.”
A family pal believes if Joanne’s condition gets any worse, “the kids may be forced to make the tough call and commit her to an assisted living facility or possibly even a nursing home.”
Sources also say the actress, who used to be a social butterfly, is practically a shut-in.
Once a regular at the Dressing Room, the eatery Paul and a pal opened in 2006, a staffer there said Joanne rarely goes there anymore.
“We all miss her terribly – that ready smile and gracious manner,” says the worker.
Adds Woodward’s pal, “It’s so sad to see this once so very vibrant and vital woman, someone who lived life to the fullest, end up this way.”
Meanwhile, the star seems unaware of the tug-of-war between her girls with Paul – Lissy, Nell, 54, and Clea, 48 – and his daughters Susan, 60, and Stephanie, 59, with first wife Jackie Witte.
The siblings battled over the decision to shut down The Scott Newman Center, which Paul established in memory of his only son, who died from a drug overdose in 1978, say sources.
“Paul’s two daughters from his first marriage and the three girls he had with Joanne are feuding,” a source close to the family said.
“You would think Joanne’s worsening health would be bringing them together, but it seems to be having the opposite effect.
“Oldest daughter Susan is livid that they’ve decided to close the doors to the foundation named after her brother. If Paul was alive, he would furious.”
The non-profit center, dedicated to helping prevent substance abuse and domestic violence, is set to shut down on Dec. 31. A source says Joanne isn’t in the right state of mind to make important decisions, so issues with Paul’s estate are being resolved by the children.
“The saddest thing is that if Joanne wasn’t suffering from Alzheimer’s, she’d be the first one to put an end to all the bickering,” says the source.
“When Joanne finally passes, you can bet Paul’s daughters will end up in huge legal battles over their dad’s money. Paul’s got to be spinning in his grave.”
