'Deadwood' creator David Milch diagnosed with Alzheimer's

David Milch, the creator of hit show Deadwood, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, he has revealed.

In an interview with Vulture, the 74-year-old writer, who recently completed writing the upcoming Deadwood movie for HBO, said that he found out following a brain scan last year.

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“As best I understand it, which is minimally, I have a deterioration in the organization of my brain,” he said. “And it’s progressive. And in some ways discouraging. In more than some ways – in every way I can think of.”

Milch went on to say that relatives and friends began to notice changes in his behaviour over the past few years, such as ‘imperfect recall and tardy recall and short temper… a generalised incertitude and a growing incapacity’.

“I became more and more of an acquired taste,” he said, adding that he thought that his father had likely also battled the degenerative brain disease, though he was not himself diagnosed.

“That was a while ago, and the diagnosis was not as sophisticated or specific, but in retrospect, he exhibited all the symptoms of the illness,” he added.

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“He was not well toward the end of his life. He was every day encountering subtle differences in his condition. But there was an unflinching dignity in the way that he carried himself and a bravery and kindness.”

In a statement responding to the news, HBO said: “We treasure our relationship with David Milch, a beloved and long-standing member of the HBO family.

“We honor David’s privacy and stand by his side in every way as he faces this challenge.”

Milch began his career writing for Hill Street Blues, then shows like L.A. Law, Murder One and NYPD Blue, winning several Emmys, before creating Deadwood in 2004.