From the website for WCVB Boston, circa 2003:

New York Post columnist Liz Smith wrote Sunday that while Clooney was accepting an award from the National Board of Review last week, he said that "Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer's."

When Smith asked the actor if he went too far with his remarks, Clooney -- who's against the gun lobby -- responded, "I don't care. Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association; he deserves whatever anyone says about him."

According to the Internet Movie Database, Heston responded to Clooney's remarks by noting the "class" of the actor's late aunt, singer-actress Rosemary Clooney.

"It just goes to show that sometimes class does skip a generation," Heston was reported as saying.