Carly Simon has Parkinson's disease. The 83-year-old singer-songwriter disclosed the diagnosis Monday in a written statement, ending years of public silence that fans had noticed and asked about.
According to Variety, Simon explained the timing in her own words. "So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been doing," she wrote. "The truth is, I've been learning how to live with Parkinson's disease."
Simon said the diagnosis did not come all at once. The problems began with arthritis in both knees and one hip, leading to replacement surgeries on all three joints. Her mobility continued to worsen after those procedures. "Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help," she wrote. "My family and I knew that something more was going on. After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's."
Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder that affects nerve cells in the brain. It has no cure. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness, difficulty balancing, and slowness of movement. Simon noted that the condition affects people differently. "It has taken me some time to understand the diagnosis, to adjust to it, and to decide how much I wanted to say about it publicly," she wrote. "Parkinson's is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable. Some days I'm so tired I can't get the day moving at all. On others, it gives me a little more room to move, think, work, and feel like myself."
Beyond the physical symptoms, Simon said she has also struggled with anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy. "That has been one of the hardest things to explain," she wrote. "It is not simply sadness or laziness. It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list."
Simon also disclosed a separate health issue. She was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, and underwent surgery to remove it while undergoing Parkinson's treatment. The surgery affected her appearance and contributed to her stepping back from public life. "I have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine (check out the irony of having written 'You're So Vain')," she wrote, "and this gave my inner critic quite a lot of new material."
Her last public performance was in March 2018. Despite the years away, Simon said she has kept working. The result is a new album called Comes in Waves, due out August 14. It is her first full-length record since 2009's Never Been Gone. The album was recorded at her home in Martha's Vineyard and produced by Paul Samwell-Smith. Her children, Ben and Sally Taylor, are featured on the record. Sally also created the cover art. The lead single, "Howl," is already out.
Simon wrote that making the album gave her days a structure they would not otherwise have had. "Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape," she wrote. "It gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room. It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life."
She was direct about how she views her condition. "I do not consider Parkinson's a gift or a blessing. It is neither. It is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening. I am still learning how to live with it."
Simon was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, 26 years after first becoming eligible. Rolling Stone reported her reaction at the time. "There's that first thought of, 'I don't believe it. It must be the House of Pancakes I just got into,'" she said. "Truly, I was dumbfounded. I thought they must be mistaken."
Comes in Waves arrives August 14.
