Drummer Monte Paul (SoCal) has alzheimers................

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 8 Jun 2009 11:09 am

If any of you old SoCal musician's remember Monte Paul who drummed and sang around the SoCal area for many years I have some bad news. I just got an email from his wife Joellen that Monte has Alzheimers Disease. She said it'd been coming on for a good while now. I know that he'd been acting strange and some of his emails sort of just rambled and such. I talked to him on the phone a month or two ago and he seemed very distracted and now I know why. If you knew ol' Monte please keep him in your prayers. Joellen said she was going to take care of him during the course of his illness.......JH in Va.

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 8 Jun 2009 1:34 pm

Hey Jerry,It seem like it ain't gonna let up on us old boys from our hay days. I keep looking at the Health to heaven everyday now. This heartache seem to come every other day. Now,I know what it means about the changing of the guards in our music business. This is to sad.Who's next in line we know? Take care brother! Leo J Eiffert,Jr.

Billy Tonnesen · Post by **Billy Tonnesen** » 8 Jun 2009 4:08 pm

Jerry & Leo:.
This is the first I have heard of this bad news.
I talked on the phone to Monte about a month ago and now I understand that he was talking a little strange. Monte is just a super drummer and singer.
It seems Monte is too young for this to happen. I did not know his wife real well but I wlll give her a call.

Billy Tonnesen · Post by **Billy Tonnesen** » 8 Jun 2009 4:28 pm

Jerry:.
I called Carl Walden and left a message about Monte. I kon't know if he knows about Monte.

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 10 Jun 2009 3:24 am

I have never met Monte before but my heart goes out to his family. I work at a nursing facility and we have an Alzheimers Unit. Some people have no clue where they are or even who they are. I have walked the halls and seen them sleeping in anothers person bed which they would have never done in their right mind. I have seen their children come in for a visit and their parents do not even know who they are. It is a devastating illness that affects families tremendously. The sad part is an individual may be like that for years. I would bet Monte if a fine individual and his family is devastated by this news. May the Good Lord help them through the coming days and months.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 10 Jun 2009 11:56 am

Oh gosh, this is bad. Monte and I worked together for about 6 months with Jimmy Lawton at the Holiday II is El Monte. I had gotten back in touch with him a few years ago and we had some great emails together. Good Lord, Monte is younger than I am... he's probably in his late 50's. WAY too young for this dreaded nightmare to happen to him.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 10 Jun 2009 2:57 pm

You're right Herb, he's mentioned working with you in the past. His wife just emailed me again and said that at this point he does a little better on his meds but he's unable to get himself on the computer anymore. She's taking him in for an MRI this week to see if they can find anything else. He's probably around sixty years old which is way too young for this to happen. He had a cardiac bypass around 9 or 10 years ago and that's really the only health problems he's ever had.

I remember when we worked together in the seventies he'd alway spend an hour a day on his body exercising and an hour a day on his drums trying to keep everything working well.......JH in Va.

Billy Tonnesen · Post by **Billy Tonnesen** » 11 Jun 2009 3:01 pm

I had the pleasure of working on the Sammy Masters band with Monte and Carl Walden for about five years thru June of 2006. Whatever style or phrasing you played, Monte was right there with you. You could always depend on him. This turn of fate for Monte is hard to beleive !

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 1 Jul 2009 8:24 am

I just got an email from Joellen (Monte's wife) this morning. She said that he hasn't been sleeping and just lays on the couch. She's trying to think up creative ways to get him to eat. He's stopped reading and won't practice his drums anymore! She has to pull him up to get him to walk and he won't go out of the house hardly at all. She's trying to find a jam session to which she might take him so he could hear some music and maybe try to sit in. It's not looking good for my old friend.......JH in Va.

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 1 Jul 2009 6:00 pm

Hey Jerry,We are all getting older and this world is starting to feel upside down.So many laws on the books & no one knows what laws are laws anymore, but the ones who are running them for themselfs. It's know wonder Monte and others can remember who they are. Leo

Carol Johnson · Post by **Carol Johnson** » 18 Jul 2009 10:56 pm

I am so sorry to hear about Monte's illness. Seems like the bad news never quits. I have a friend whose mom has Alzheimer's and she takes a drug called Aracept (sp).and it has slowed the progress of the disease tremendously. I think he needs to be doing some aggressive drug therapy before his wife tries to encourage him to get out and jam. I hope they have a good physician. I remember the good ol' days at The Holiday many years ago and have wonderful memories of jamming there at the after hours. I am so sorry to hear this and I wish Monte and his family the very best.
Carol

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Drummer Monte Paul (SoCal) has alzheimers................

Drummer Monte Paul (SoCal) has alzheimers................

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