Legendary WKBW-TV (Channel 7) news anchor Irv Weinstein has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, the progressive neurodegenerative disease more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

In a telephone interview Friday, the 86-year-old Weinstein said from the assisted living apartment in Mission Viejo, Calif., that he shares with his wife Elaine that he was diagnosed a few weeks ago.

The diagnosis came after months of tests taken after he had problems keeping his balance and fell 10 or 11 times.

“I went to several neurologists and took every test they could give and this process took a couple of months and by simply eliminating all the possibilities they gave me a diagnosis of ALS,” explained Weinstein.

Weinstein, who was the lead anchor at Channel 7 during the ABC’s affiliate glory days atop the news ratings in Buffalo from the 196os through the 1990s, added that he has gone from being in almost perfect health six months ago to being unable to walk in a couple of weeks.

A film aficionado, Weinstein said his immediate reaction after getting the diagnosis was to think of one of his favorite films, the 1942 classic about Gehrig, “Pride of the Yankees.”