A very shaky Chevy Chase has doctors concerned he may be facing a Parkinson’s disease nightmare!
The former Saturday Night Live cutup — who has a long history of alcohol and drug abuse — was shaking like a leaf at a recent screening of his hit 1980 flick Caddyshack.
Chevy Chase sat down with fans to answer questions and reminisce about the movie that helped launch him into stardom, “Caddyshack.” Photo: MEGA
Chevy’s hands were trembling so badly, he was forced to address the problem after spilling water while pouring himself a glass.
“Look, I’ve got the shakes. As you get older you get the shakes, really, seriously,” the 76-year-old star told the audience at the Sept. 30 event in Atlantic City, N.J. Then he wisecracked: “Sometimes it’s really bad in the morning!”
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Although Chevy laughed off the tremors, doctors believe his shakes are more ominous than just a sign of old age.
“They are clearly potential warning signs of Parkinson’s disease,” said longevity expert Dr. Gabe Mirkin. “His history of substance and alcohol abuse could cause the type of brain damage that would bring on the disease!”
The troubled comic has made three separate trips to rehab — including a stint at the Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center in Minnesota in 2016. Despite that, he was caught carrying a bag out of a liquor store in Upstate New York this year!
“For Chevy to even be around alcohol can be seen as suicidal,” Dr. Mirkin noted.
As The National ENQUIRER has reported, the star underwent life-saving gastric bypass surgery in 2016 and lost nearly 200 pounds from his peak weight of 388!
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The surgery came just a year after Chevy landed in the emergency room for a frightening heart episode.
“When you repeatedly lose and gain weight, you are causing the kind of damage that brings on Parkinson’s,” added Dr. Mirkin.
Internist Dr. Stuart Fischer recommended he undergo a DaTscan to determine if he has Parkinson’s. “This is a test that can determine if you have enough dopamine in the brain to transmit commands to your body,” he said. “If he comes up short, he would need to get immediate treatment.”
Chevy did not respond to a request for comment.
Dr. Fischer also fears the tremors may indicate another serious problem. He said: “Tremors like these may be sign of withdrawal from drug use. That would mean relapse and I pray that isn’t the case with Chevy.”
The doctors quoted in this story have not treated Chevy Chase.
