By SAMUEL LEE
alltherage@thestar.com.my

While Tourette syndrome only affects a fraction of the global population, there is a good number of well-known people who actually suffer from this condition.
So, who are they?

Tim Howard, 35

Anyone who follows the English Premier League will surely be familiar with his name. In case you don’t know, Tim Howard is the national goalkeeper for the United States and Everton FC in the English Premier League.

He was diagnosed with Tourette’s as a nine-years-old and suffers from tics that cause facial twitching, throat clearing and obsessive compulsive behaviour.

Michael Wolff, 61
The American jazz pianist, composer and actor, suffers from Tourette’s as well. While his condition was considered mild, he had to make a conscious effort to hide his vocal and motor tics. Wolff never really knew about his condition until he was officially diagnosed when in his thirties.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) and is involved with mentoring children with Tourette’s.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Surprised that this name appeared, too?

Mozart also suffered from Tourette’s, but was never officially diagnosed for the condition. It was only speculated in a documentary by James McConnel, who suggests that Mozart’s works were influenced by Tourette’s as he showed signs of twitching and obsessive nature.

Dan Aykroyd, 61
The Canadian comedian, actor and singer, who acted in the Ghostbusters movies, had mild Tourette’s. He said in a radio interview that the condition was successfully treated with therapy when he was a pre-teen.

James Durbin, 25
The American guitarist and singer was diagnosed with Tourette’s when he was nine. In spite of his condition, he went on to finish fourth in the 10th season of American Idol. After the competition, he was featured in a documentary that highlighted his efforts to overcome the condition while he was in his teens.