M*A*S*H star Alan Alda reveals the ‘main thing’ keeping him alive at 90

It has been a decade since legendary actor Alan Alda was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and to his credit he is still getting after it at 90.

And recently, the iconic “M*A*S*H” star revealed what really fuels him in an interview with People Magazine.

“I think the main thing that keeps me alive is laughing,” Alda said. “When something goes wrong, I often see it as funny. Take my Parkinson’s. (Please). The night I accidentally fell into the dishwasher, I reassured our dinner guests by telling them, ‘I’m fine. It was only on rinse cycle.’ Fortunately, when you’re old, pretty much any bizarre thing you say gets a laugh.”

And true to that form, Alda recently updated how he was doing in his health battle, telling People Magazine that he was “making progress.”

“I didn’t say in which direction,” he joked.

The Independent noted that Alda also has prosopagnosia, a condition which is known as face blindness. The outlet said it makes it hard for Alda to recognize people.

Alda said the issues cause him to face new puzzles that he has to solve each day.

“It’s a little like a game,” he said. “I’ve found whatever the little problem is, if I keep at it, I can eventually solve it, and then I feel like a million bucks. It’s a way to have a good time under poor circumstances.”

Sadly, he said that dealing with Parkinson’s has gone from a part-time job to a full-time one.

“But it keeps me always looking for the funny side,” he said.

Along with laughing, Alda has also found things he is passionate in, such as his current podcast.

“To go a little deeper with your question about being productive while being old, I think a few embers still have to be glowing,” he said. “A passionate interest in something you haven’t yet followed up on.

“I’ve always been interested in how many people relate and communicate,” he added. “And now I’m spending most of my time exploring that on my podcast. But I think it’s important to follow a passion even if it doesn’t deliver the same status hits you’ve had in the past.”