Barbra Streisand and James Brolin Face Heartbreaking Health Battle: “We’re Fighting This Together”

In a tearful interview that has left fans around the world holding their breath, Barbra Streisand, 83, opened up about the unimaginable pain her family is enduring as her husband of 27 years, James Brolin, 85, battles the slow, relentless decline of age-related health issues that have turned their Malibu dream home into a quiet fortress of care and concern.

The conversation, part of a November 27, 2025, sit-down with Oprah Winfrey for her Super Soul series, started with laughter over their 1998 barefoot backyard wedding, but quickly turned to a vulnerability Barbra has rarely shown.
“You get to be old and everybody is dying around you,” she said, voice trembling as she clutched a photo of James from their first blind date. “But with Jim… it’s different. It’s not dying. It’s watching the man I love fade a little more every day, and it breaks me.”

Brolin’s “slowing down,” as friends describe it, has been gradual but undeniable over the last three years.
The once-vibrant actor, known for Marcus Welby, M.D. and Westworld, now moves with a cane, his sharp wit occasionally dimmed by fatigue and memory lapses. Sources close to the couple say he’s been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, a cruel twist for a man whose roles demanded razor memory. Barbra, sharp as ever at 83, has become his full-time caregiver—cooking his favorite brisket, reading scripts aloud to keep his mind engaged, and shielding him from paparazzi flashes that once thrilled him.

The emotional toll on Barbra is profound, a woman who spent decades proving she didn’t need anyone now needing the world to understand her need.
“I’ve sung to millions, directed films that changed lives, but nothing prepares you for this,” she confessed, tears falling freely. “Jim was my calm. He saw the girl behind the legend. Now I see him slipping, and it feels like losing my anchor.” She paused, wiping her eyes. “We’re fighting this together, but some days I wonder if I have enough fight left for both of us.”

Fans who have idolized their love story since the 1996 blind date that sparked it all didn’t just react; they rallied.
Within hours of the interview airing, #PrayForJamesBrolin trended globally, surpassing 7.9 million posts. Streams of Barbra’s “Evergreen”—the song she wrote for him—surged 3,100%. Bette Midler posted a black-and-white photo of the couple from 1998: “Hold on, my darlings. Love like yours doesn’t fade—it fights.” Denzel Washington wrote, “James, your heart’s too big for this. Barbra, you’re his Shawshank. Prayers up.”

The couple’s resilience echoes their 27-year journey.
From James’s role in steadying Barbra through vocal struggles to her supporting him through family tragedies, they’ve been each other’s quiet strength. Barbra’s 2023 memoir My Name Is Barbra dedicated a chapter to him: “He gave me a home when I only knew stages.” Now, she’s giving him everything—doctors’ appointments, memory games, and nightly readings from their wedding vows.

As Barbra chooses fewer public appearances to focus on care, her words linger like a final note.
“I don’t fear losing him,” she said finally. “I fear the days without his laugh. So I laugh louder, love harder, and pray we have more tomorrows.”

Barbra Streisand isn’t just facing loss.
She’s facing it with the same grace that made her a legend—
holding James’s hand as tightly as she holds the world.

From blind dates to bedside vigils,
one woman’s love is teaching us
how to face the fade with fire.