Russell Andrews, a veteran actor known for his roles in “Better Call Saul,” “Insecure,” and “Straight Outta Compton,” has revealed he is facing a fatal battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The 64-year-old actor explained that early warning signs of the disease went unaddressed during a multiyear gap in his medical coverage. This period was caused by an industrywide shutdown that stripped him of health insurance due to the pandemic and back-to-back Hollywood labor strikes in 2023, leaving him out of work for nearly three years.
“I thought I had a stroke during COVID,” Andrews said. “It was a stressful time. We didn’t work for three years, and then we had the back-to-back strikes. A lot was going on … There were moments, there were twitches. I thought I was having pinched nerves in my neck, and they were quite frequent. And I was not able to do things that I would normally do. I was dropping cups and glasses, and at night, it felt like things were running up and down my arms at certain times.”
Once production resumed and his insurance was restored, Andrews was evaluated at Cedars-Sinai and referred to a specialist, receiving his official diagnosis in late fall of last year.
Andrews, who played football well into his college years, raised the possibility of a link to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). “It appears that maybe CTE may be a source of this,” he said. “We won’t know, of course, until everything is said and done and they can study the brain.”
His fiancée, actor Erica Tazel, confirmed they are still moving forward with their wedding after learning of his diagnosis. “When he shared the news with me … I looked at him across the room and I said, ‘At least now we know what it is — and I still want to be your wife,'” she recalled.
Andrews has since partnered with the ALS Network, traveling to Washington to meet with lawmakers and advocate for resources, free patient care, and a cure for the neurodegenerative disease.
His announcement follows the death of “Euphoria” and “Grey’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane in February from ALS complications. Dane, who received his diagnosis in April 2025, spoke openly about his terminal illness in an interview. “I’m angry because my father was taken from me when I was young,” he said. “And now there’s a very good chance I’m going to be taken from my girls while they’re very young. At the end of the day, all I want to do is spend time with my family and work a little bit, if I can.”
