One thing I observe about Heston: his famous “Fighting the Culture War in America” speech came only 5 years before he announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. And since the disease manifests itself subtly often before it is properly diagnosed, it is possible that in 1997 he was already in notable mental decline.

I don’t offer this as an excuse, but as a warning: there are many age corresponding dementia problems and changes in personality, or extravagant expressions of previous traits, can and often do occur as one gets old.

I tend to de-weight the opinions of people as they get very old, not to be ageist but simply because I can’t take the time to evaluate every assertion that I come across. There are many people who can be in peak mental fitness in their 60’s or even 70’s, but many of their contemporaries are not. Some of the differences no doubt are genetic, but I expect many are simply lifestyles (diet, drugs, etc.) that catch up with a person.

Heston’s change came before the 1990’s - he seems to have switched his opinions some time in the late 70’s or early 80’s.