James Earl Jones dies after long battle with diabetes: What you should know

• James Earl Jones, known for roles in Field of DreamsThe Lion King and star Warsdied at the age of 93.
• Jones was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his mid-60s, a disease that continued to affect him in his later years.
• Although Jones is known for his deep, commanding voice, he overcame a severe stutter that plagued him throughout much of his early childhood.

James Earl Jones – known for his roles in The Lion King And Field of Dreamsand as the voice of Darth Vader in the star Wars Franchise – has died. He was 93 years old. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Jones, who later developed type 2 diabetes, overcame a severe childhood stutter to become an award-winning actor known for his deep, commanding voice.

In an interview in 2016 on the Rachael Ray ShowJones revealed that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the mid-1990s while visiting a diet and fitness center.

At the time, he was over 60, an age at which this disease is commonly diagnosed in many older people.

“Diabetes and other age-related diseases such as obesity and abnormal cholesterol levels become more common as we age,” said Dr. Noa Tal, an endocrinologist at the Pituitary Disorders Center of the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California.

Jones told Ray in the interview that his condition was discovered by accident.

“One day I fell asleep on a bench in the middle of the gym,” Jones explained. “And a doctor who was there said, 'This is not normal,' and he advised me to get checked out.”

A laboratory test revealed that Jones had type 2 diabetes.

Such delayed diagnoses are not uncommon.

“Unfortunately, [type 2 diabetes] sometimes goes under the radar,” Tal said.

The rate of diagnosed diabetes is highest among American Indian and Alaska Native adults, followed by black, Hispanic and Asian adults, CDC data show. White adults have the lowest rate of diabetes.

Diabetes can be detected early through regular preventive examinations, such as routine doctor's appointments.

It recommends that everyone ask their GP for a diabetes screening appointment at age 40, or at age 35 if they have other health problems such as high blood pressure.

“Depending on the ethnicity of a person or [other health conditions] For patients with a similar clinical picture, screening can be done either annually or every three years,” Tal said.

Jones told Healthline Diabetes Mine in a 2016 interview that after his diagnosis, there were “hard changes, like not being able to eat my favorite strawberry cake anymore.”

Depending on the severity of diabetes, some people can control their blood sugar levels through lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise, Tal said.

Others may need an oral or injectable medication such as metformin, Ozempic or insulin, she said.

Jones had a doctor who recommended Invokana, a drug that works by excreting excess glucose through urine.

“I have found that [Invokana] helped me a lot to keep my blood sugar levels in balance,” he said Diabetes Mine.

Diabetes can sometimes be a huge burden for patients. In addition to the burden of treatment and the need to take care of yourself, there is also an increased risk of complications from diabetes, especially if the disease is not controlled.

This Complications can include heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, nerve damage and foot ulcers.

“If diabetes is not well controlled, it can affect the entire patient,” Tal said. “It basically affects every system in the body.”

One thing Jones has learned from managing his diabetes is that “it's all about being in tune with your body, and I'm sure the body tells us things long before we're aware of what's happening,” he said Diabetes Mine“Since then, it’s been my job to pay more attention to what my body is telling me.”

He also said that his wife and son helped him maintain his healthy diet.”[My son] I counted the cookies in the kitchen and he could smell my breath when I stole some,” he said Diabetes Mine“They both helped me stay on track.”

“When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I realized that my whole family became diabetic,” he explained. “Not that they suffer from the same things that I do, but they understand me and we have to work as a family to live with diabetes. They became my support group, as did my doctors.”

Tal said a strong support system can help people with diabetes successfully manage their disease.

“When I have diabetes patients who have memory problems or whose treatment is complex, I always ask if there is family or other social support,” she said.

Although Jones is known for his work as a voice actor, he admitted in a 1986 interview that he had difficulty speaking in his early years due to a severe stutter.

“I was mute from first grade to freshman year of high school,” he said. “Mute because I just gave up speaking.”

Jones explained to Charlie Rose in 1993 that he learned to speak clearly by reading his own and other people's poems before he became an actor.

It was his high school English teacher, Donald Crouch, who helped Jones find a way to express himself verbally.

“Donald said, 'Jim, this poem is so good I don't believe you wrote it.' He accused me of plagiarism. 'And the only way to prove it is to stand up in front of the class and recite it from memory,'” Jones recalled in the interview. When he stood up and recited the poem word for word, they were both shocked, he said.

Jones worked in the film industry and on stage for many years.

Still, he “still stutters,” he told Rose. “For now, it's there.”

“Stutterers often seem like slow, deep thinkers,” he continued. “We're not. We're just looking for the word we can say without stumbling over it.”

Throughout his career, he has struggled with alliteration and has asked screenwriters to remove any mistakes, such as several words in a row that begin with a vowel, he told Rose.

When Jones was asked in a 1986 interview if he minded talking about his stuttering, he said it didn't bother him.

“It's just another example of having a weak muscle and training it. And sometimes it turns into a strong muscle,” he said.

James Earl Jones, known for his roles in The Lion King, Field of Dreamsand as the voice of Darth Vader in star Warsdied at the age of 93. The cause of death was not initially stated.

The actor revealed in a 2016 interview that he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the mid-1990s after falling asleep in the middle of the day at a diet and fitness center. His family and doctors helped him manage his illness in his later years.

As a child and teenager, Jones stuttered so severely that he was unable to speak from first grade through his junior year of high school. He credited a high school English teacher who helped him overcome his stutter by encouraging him to read his own poems aloud.