Jay Leno Reveals Wife’s Dementia Diagnosis
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jay Leno has revealed that his wife, Mavis, 77, was recently diagnosed with dementia and is quickly declining. The couple has been married for 43 years.
Leno has filed to be the conservator of Mavis’s estate because she “presently lacks the necessary capacity,” per her doctor.
CBS NEWS reported, “The petition, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, said that the 77-year-old Mavis ‘has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years,’ and her ‘current condition renders her incapable of executing the estate plan.'”
“Jay has petitioned the Court to be appointed conservator of Mavis’s estate for the sole purpose of filing a petition for substituted judgment on her behalf in order to ensure her desires concerning the disposition of her assets upon her death are realized,” the petition also says.
Although there is no official diagnosis date, the petition included documents dated Nov. 28, 2023.
The doctor treating Mavis wrote, “it is my professional opinion that, due to her condition, Mavis is unable to meaningfully participate in the hearing on the Petition to Appoint a Probate Conservator nor would she understand the nature, force or effect of the hearing should she attend.”
Leno asks that he be the one to manage the half of the estate that belongs to Mavis and also put her assets in a trust so that she, her brother and Leno could all be provided for.
Leno “has always handled the couple’s finances throughout the term of their 43-year marriage, and will continue to do so until his passing,” the petition reads. “Jay is fully capable of continuing his support for Mavis’s physical and financial needs as he has throughout their marriage.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Leno after his motorcycle accident:
The accident occurred when he decided to pull over to investigate the scent of leaking gas.
“I turned down a side street and cut through a parking lot, and unbeknownst to me, some guy had a wire strung across the parking lot but with no flag hanging from it,” he explained. “So, you know, I didn’t see it until it was too late. It just clothesline me and, boom, knocked me off the bike. The bike kept going, and you know how that works out.
“But I’m okay!” Leno laughed. “I’m okay, I’m working. I’m working this weekend.”
The incident happened so soon after the garage fire that Leno said he didn’t want to publicly announce what had happened.
“You know, after getting burned up, you get that one for free,” he joked. “After that, you’re Harrison Ford, crashing airplanes. You just want to keep your head down.”
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