US singer-songwriter Bobby Womack said he is beginning to show early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, including trouble remembering names and song lyrics.

“The doctor said, ‘You have signs of Alzheimer’s’,” Womack, 68, told Britain’s BBC Radio 6 music station over the weekend. “He said it’s not bad yet but it’s going to get worse.”

He added: “How can I not remember songs that I wrote? That’s frustrating.”

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, whose hits include Woman’s Gotta Have It and If You Think You’re Lonely Now, suffered a number of health problems in the past year.

The soul veteran in October won the best album award from the British magazine Q for his 2012 release, The Bravest Man in the Universe, beating out much younger competition.

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