Former NFL star Chris Johnson<\/a> is the latest celebrity to open up about his ongoing battle<\/a> with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis<\/a>, or ALS.<\/p>\n In a June 29 interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America<\/a>,” the ex-Tennessee Titans<\/a>\u00a0running\u00a0back revealed he was diagnosed with the nervous system disease, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, last year at the age of 39.<\/p>\n “There’s no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson said. “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen.”<\/p>\n “That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it,” he added.<\/p>\n Chris Johnson, a former Arizona Cardinals running back, revealed he was diagnosed with ALS in a June 29 interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Johnson’s announcement comes months after the death of “Grey’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane<\/a>, who first disclosed his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. Johnson, like Dane, experienced weakness in his right hand in the months leading up to the diagnosis.<\/p>\n Johnson is also working with Dr. Merritt Cudkowicz, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, who worked with Dane to manage his symptoms and slow the illness down, as there is no known cure for ALS at this time.<\/p>\n ALS affects thousands of people each year, including notable figures like Johnson and Dane. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>, recent reports estimate that close to 35,000 people in the United States have ALS, with about 5,000 people diagnosed annually.<\/p>\n Here are other notable figures who received the same diagnosis as Johnson.<\/p>\n