Jack Nicholson Retiring? Say It Isn’t So! [Spoiler: It Isn’t!]

Reports Jack Nicholson is retiring from acting due to dementia or memory loss have been causing an outcry on the social web, with fans facing the inevitable circumstance of one of our favorite actors departing the silver screen for good.

Hey, Jack Nicholson (like everyone else) has to retire sometime. The Shining was a long time ago. Now 76, the acclaimed actor is well into his golden years and certainly will want to quit working soon, right?

However, the specific report about Nicholson retiring from RadarOnline, suggesting an immediate precipitate of “memory loss,” appears to be spurious. Whew.

It became clear yesterday that America is not yet ready to let go of Jack Nicholson, even if he’s careening toward 80 and has given us decades of amazing work.

The Hollywood insider who anonymously commented to RadarOnline:

“Jack has — without fanfare — retired… There is a simple reason behind his decision — it’s memory loss. Quite frankly, at 76, Jack has memory issues and can no longer remember the lines being asked of him… His memory isn’t what it used to be.”

Another said Nicholson would still be out and about in Hollywood, but that the star could no longer memorize lines:

“Jack has no intention of retiring from the limelight… He’s not retiring from public life, at all. He just doesn’t want a tribute,” added the insider. “He’s happy to tacitly join the retirees club like Sean Connery.”

Well, that sounds pretty final. Bummer?

Not quite! E! directly refuted the news, saying Nicholson isn’t suffering memory loss at all and has no plans to quit acting. The entertainment news network refutes tales of Jack’s departure from acting:

“NBC’s Maria Shriver has confirmed to E! News that reports of Nicholson retiring from acting due to memory loss or dementia are 100 percent false, adding that the Chinatown star is not suffering from any memory-related illness or dementia and has no current plans to retire… In fact, a source close to the movie icon says Nicholson is actively reading scripts and is looking forward to his next project.”

Sot Jack Nicholson isn’t retiring at 76 just yet… but the brouhaha also suggests fans fear the ultimately inevitable circumstance. Are you glad Nicholson isn’t going anywhere just yet?