Capt. Sully, Miracle on the Hudson Pilot, Shares Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Tom Hanks Opens Up on Tackling "Sully" Role

Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III—aka Captain Sully—is embarking on a different kind of journey.

This time, it involves his health, as the “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot shared he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in August 2025. Although he has always had a photographic memory, Sully began suspecting something was off after he began to forget things.

“It is early stage,” the 75-year-old told People in an interview published July 14. “For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey.”

Indeed, the captain is no stranger to taking on adversity. After all, he rose to prominence after emergency landing US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, saving the lives of the 155 passengers and crew members onboard.

His heroic act was later adapted for the silver screen, with Clint Eastwood directing 2016’s Sully, starring Tom Hanks as Sullenberger. At the time, Hanks shared what it was like to step into Sully’s shoes, noting that the pilot turned a moment that “could've been a terrible tragedy” into an “uplifting story.”

“A man with that kind of gravitas, I can't even begin to lay claim to holding a candle to him,” Hanks told E! News in 2016, “but I like a guy that can do that and does it naturally."

But Sully couldn’t accomplish the “Miracle on the Hudson” alone, with his first officer from the flight Jeffrey Skiles assisting him in the cockpit. Now, Skiles is supporting him during this new chapter.

“He’s somebody that I’ve always looked up to and I think a lot of other people do, too,” Skiles told People. “Hopefully, it’s going to progress slowly and he’s going to be able to create the kind of life going forward that he would be proud of.”

Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images

And as Sully has adjusted to life with this disease, his family emphasized that the Highest Duty author has the same even-keeled demeanor he’s always had.

“That strength and steadiness is guiding us as a family,” his wife Lorrie Sullenberger added. “We’re supporting him on this journey that we now walk with so many other families. Though the future is uncertain, we continue to live our lives, have hope, and find joy in the everyday.”

In sharing his diagnosis, Sully hopes to bring hope to families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease.

“This new phase of my life has challenged what it means to be of service,” he said. “And the answer is to speak up. It is my hope that by sharing this, other families living in the shadows with this disease will feel they too can step forward. And about hope.”

Keep reading to see how other celebs have navigated health scares…

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