Bobby Womack Says Alzheimer’s Could Be Cause of Memory Loss

The soul singer Bobby Womack says that he is suffering from memory loss that could signal the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Womack, 68, told the BBC that he struggles to remember his own songs and the names of other musicians.

“The doctor said, ‘You have signs of Alzheimer’s,'” he said. “He said it’s not bad yet but it’s going to get worse.” During the Q Awards ceremony in October in Britain, at which he received the best album award for “The Bravest Man in the Universe,” Mr. Womack referred to his producer and friend Damon Albarn as “Damon Osbourne.”

In general, the singer has been in precarious health. In 2011 he underwent surgery for prostate cancer. Then, in the spring of 2012, he was hospitalized with pneumonia and underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor from his colon.

Correction: January 2, 2013
An earlier version of this post misidentified the source of the report of Mr. Womack's comments. While the London newspaper The Sun also reported them, Mr. Womack was interviewed by the BBC.