Yasmin Aga Khan

I was going to go to Europe to study, and that's when my mother's disease heightened, and it was really necessary that I step in. Then I said, okay, this is more important than my career in music.

I was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and we lived there for three to five years - with my mother and father. And then they divorced and she came back to America.

I knew she was famous, but she was my mom, a regular mom.

Frank Sinatra was a popular star, but he was always so sweet and friendly to me that I was excited just to be next to him.

I came to New York after Bennington College and trained as a singer. I lived on the West Side and I went to my voice lessons. That was a wonderful part of my life and I really thought that I could go somewhere with my voice.

Much of the legend surrounding my mother is true. She was a beautiful, talented, warmhearted woman who had the greatest sense of humor. At the same time, she was a sharp, fiery lady who was full of spunk and had a flashy temper.

The Alzheimer's Association in the United States, founded by Jerome Stone, they found me because they had heard rumours that my mom was diagnosed. Jerry said, 'We're a small family group, and we would like to know if you'd like to join us and to spread the word about this disease.' I said, 'Absolutely.'

They can become very irritated. They can become very aggressive. Not all Alzheimer's patients are that way, but many are. My mother was very difficult. She had extreme mood changes and would become fearful.

I was raised as a Catholic and as an Ismaili. My father felt that I should have some training in Islam, but my mother was a Catholic, so really, I was raised with both.

My son Andrew was an extraordinary young man, loved and admired by all who knew him. His accidental death is a terrible tragedy.