Those are good memories to hang onto.

Comments like this doesn't help when we don't know what people are going through in their personal lives. But let's look at the facts which could've contributed (that is publicly available for research) at the time that this telethon aired: 1. He was in his late 70s (78, i think) 2. He was on steriods to manage the pulmonary fibrosis that he was suffering from at the time (hence the bloated/puffy appearance and breathlessness). 3. A month after this telethon, he was checked into hospital for THREE months due to withdrawal symptoms of the aforementioned steriods (Prednisone). 4. He had been suffering from chronic back pain for decades which led to painkiller addiction up until 2002 when he was fitted with a "pain pacemaker" which surgically implanted. After taking all that into consideration, its not surprising that he might need memory assistance during that time. He may not have needed the cue cards, but they were there "just in case". So let's not stoop so low as to complain about such asinine things. He was clearly going through a lot at the time and could've easily cancelled his appearance on the show. But he made the effort to be there.