Heartbreaking new court documents have revealed that the former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno’s beloved wife Mavis, who he’s been married to for 44 years, sometimes no longer recognizes him amidst her battle with “advanced dementia.”
Mavis Leno’s Dementia Battle
Back in January, Leno, 73, petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court to be appointed as his 77 year-old wife’s conservator because she can no longer handle her own affairs. Mavis’s court-appointed attorney Ronald Ostrin opened up about her condition this week in a filing supporting Leno’s petition, saying that her diminished mental capacity has brought sadness to their otherwise “perfect” marriage.
“According to (Mavis’) neurologist, Dr. Hart Cohen, she has advanced dementia, sometimes does not know her husband Jay, nor her date of birth,” Ostrin said in the court documents that were obtained by Daily Mail.
“She has lots of disorientation, will ruminate about her parents who have both passed and her mother who died about 20 years ago,” he continued.
Dr. Cohen, who has been treating Mavis ever since she was in a 2018 car crash, reportedly told Ostrin that Leno “loves his wife very much and wanted to bring this matter out of respect to her.”
“He said that Mr. Leno is such a nice man and treats Mavis like gold,” Ostrin recalled, adding that he’d personally gone through all of Mavis’s medical records and looked at the prescription medications that she’s taking “for the care and treatment of major neurocognitive disorders (including dementia).”
Mavis Relies On Leno For ‘Protection And Guidance’
Ostrin also talked at length with Mavis herself.
“We had a long opportunity to speak with each other and we spoke about her wishes and desires about the proceeding (the conservatorship) and about her testamentary wishes,” he stated.
‘Ms. Leno was a delightful person, and although it was clear she had cognitive impairment, she still has a charming personality and could communicate,” Ostrin recounted. “She expressed a desire to vote and told me a little about her philanthropic work. She reposed great faith and confidence in Mr. Leno and relied on him for her protection and guidance.”
This has all led Ostrin to conclude that it’s best for Mavis that her devoted husband be appointed as her conservator.
“Mr. and Ms. Leno have a long-term, loving and supportive relationship,” he stated. “They have enough resources to give Ms. Leno a safe and least restrictive environment. Ms. Leno seemed very happy in their cozy environment. However, no one lives forever and the actions taken by Mr. Leno are necessary for his and Mavis’ protection.”
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Mavis Supports Petition
Ostrin went on to say that this Leno’s “petition is designed to give Mavis that protection with the protection of court supervision.”
“Mavis does not object to the petition nor as to Mr. Leno acting as her conservator off her estate She consents to it and wants that. Mr. Leno is her protector and she trusts him,” he explained. “Based on my interaction with Mr. Leno, plus some research, he seems to be a standup guy and his private persona matches the public persona he projects.”
David DuFault, a principal attorney at Sodoma Law, previously told People Magazine that if Leno’s petition is granted, he will be “responsible for making all decisions based on the scope that the court gives him.”
“Generally, courts like to be as least restrictive as possible,” DuFault said. “I would guess that given her age, given the idea that there is or appears to be a dementia diagnosis, it could be a very broadly-crafted order that says that the petitioner has authority to make all kinds of decisions for her, which could be dealing with financial assets, selling real property, making decisions about beneficiary designations.”
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Leno And Mavis’s History
Leno and Mavis have been married since 1980, and they do not have any children.
“My wife and I have been married for 32 years,” Leno told US Weekly in 2012. “No kids, but we have a cat.”
It appears to have been Mavis who decided that children were not something that she wanted for her and her husband.
“I remember telling my mother when I was 7 or 8 that I was never going to get married or have children. To me, this is the way women get caught,” she told The Washington Post in 2014.
After filing for the conservatorship back in January, Leno told reporters that Mavis was “fine, everybody’s good, we’re doing well. I just set up a will, in case something happens.”
Watch Leno talk about his marriage five years ago in the video below.
Anyone who has ever had a family member struggle with dementia knows just how difficult it is. This is clearly a very heartbreaking situation for everyone involved, so please say a prayer for the Leno family during this tragic time.
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