"When I became a caregiver for my mother, actress Rita Hayworth, when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. I knew at that moment that this would become my life’s work." For Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the youngest daughter of Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth, this personal tragedy became a profound public mission fueled by hope and enduring love. The pain of seeing someone you love consumed by Alzheimer's is a heartbreak that few can truly understand, watching a vibrant mind slowly fade away.

The woman the world adored as the "Love Goddess" spent her final years in a quiet struggle. Her story, however, is not one of just loss, but of the extraordinary devotion of a daughter who found her life's calling in caring for her mother and fighting the disease that claimed her. The dazzling light of a Hollywood legend often casts a long, beautiful shadow, but for one of the silver screen's greatest stars, Rita Hayworth, her final years were marked by a quiet, profound struggle - and an equally profound act of love.

The gradual decline of Hayworth's memory and escalating changes in her behavior began long before an official diagnosis.
In the 1970s, as she struggled with confusion and mood swings, her symptoms were tragically misunderstood and often misattributed to alcoholism, adding to the stigma and isolation. For Princess Yasmin, who was away at boarding school and then college, the transformation in her vibrant mother was deeply concerning. "She started asking me the same questions over again," Yasmin recalled of her weekly phone calls. "She seemed very confused. I became concerned but really had no idea what to do."

After graduating from college and seeing her mother's health deteriorate further, Princess Yasmin made the courageous and loving decision to step in as her primary caregiver. Recognizing that her mother's legal and medical affairs in Los Angeles were becoming unmanageable, Yasmin successfully filed for conservatorship in 1975. She then relocated her mother to New York City to ensure proximity and provide consistent, personal care. The official diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease finally arrived in 1981, bringing both devastating clarity and a new path forward. For the last six years of her mother’s life, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan dedicated herself completely to her care, even moving her mother into an apartment next door to her own to guarantee stability and presence. This act required a great sacrifice. Yasmin had been studying classical singing and planning a music career in Europe, but she put her personal ambitions aside without hesitation. As she famously affirmed, "Okay, this is more important than my career in music. And that was the right decision. I don't have any regrets.”

The caregiving journey was far from easy, described by Yasmin as incredibly isolating, especially given the public silence and stigma surrounding Alzheimer's at the time. Her unconditional love provided a sanctuary for the woman who had once been one of the world's most glamorous figures. Even as the disease progressed and Hayworth became non-verbal, there were moments of beautiful connection. Yasmin discovered that music, particularly the songs from her mother's glorious dancing days, could still reach her, bringing peace and a smile. "I would put music on and she was in the chair, and she'd be very peaceful and smiled," Yasmin shared.

Rita Hayworth passed away in 1987, but her struggle and her daughter's dedication did not end there. Princess Yasmin Aga Khan turned her grief into a global purpose, becoming one of the world's most prominent advocates for Alzheimer's awareness and research. By publicly sharing her mother's diagnosis, she helped bring the illness out of the shadows, initiating a necessary national conversation and reducing the heavy stigma associated with Alzheimer's.

In 1984, she established this annual event, which has raised over $90 million for the Alzheimer's Association, significantly advancing research and providing vital support for other families walking the same difficult path. Through her tireless work, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan ensured that Rita Hayworth's legacy is defined not just by Hollywood glamour but by courage, dedication, and the transformative power of a daughter's enduring love. Her final years, though challenging, became a catalyst for hope and change for millions of families affected by Alzheimer's worldwide.

The experience of Alzheimer's is an enduring ache that comes from losing someone twice. It steals the shared history and conscious recognition that forms the bond between people. The language of words may fail, but love remains the final, essential communion. When the voice retreats and the light of comprehension dims, the hearts communicate through their purest state - a silent poem of devotion, speaking the profound, unbroken stillness of love. This love gives meaning and purpose to the darkest hour, proving that the heart’s recognition runs deeper than the mind’s recall, providing light long after the intellect has surrendered its sovereignty. (From "We Are Human Angels")