Grammy-winning music icon Carly Simon has revealed a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and a skin cancer battle after years out of the spotlight.
Legendary singer-songwriter Carly Simon has brought an end to years of speculation regarding her absence from public life, revealing that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The 83-year-old Grammy-winning icon shared the news in a candid and deeply personal statement, breaking a lengthy silence that had left devoted fans wondering about her health and well-being.
In the statement, Simon explained that she needed time to process the progressive neurological condition and adjust to its realities before speaking about it publicly. “So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been doing,” Simon wrote. “The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease.”
From Joint Recovery to Neurological Reality
The path to the diagnosis was neither immediate nor straightforward. Simon shared that her health challenges initially appeared to stem from severe arthritis affecting both knees and one hip. Over time, she underwent three separate joint replacement operations, replacing the worn joints with what she described as “delicate bouquets of metal and plastic”.
For a long time, she and her family assumed her persistent difficulty with mobility was simply a difficult and ironic recovery process from the surgeries. However, her movement continued to deteriorate. She experienced trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without assistance, eventually reaching a point where she required considerable help just to walk. Following an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, doctors confirmed the Parkinson’s diagnosis, prompting her to begin medical treatments, including medications to help manage stiffness and movement issues.
Alongside her neurological diagnosis, Simon also revealed that she underwent successful surgery during the same period to remove basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, on her face. While the procedure was successful, the physical impact of the surgery compounded her desire to step back from public visibility.
Navigating the Unpredictability of Illness
Reflecting on daily life with Parkinson’s, Simon described the condition as fundamentally unpredictable. “Parkinson’s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable,” she noted. “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.”
She also addressed the complex emotional and non-motor symptoms associated with the disease, particularly the profound apathy that can accompany it, describing it vividly as a feeling “as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list”.
Finding Refuge in Music
Despite the physical and emotional hurdles, Simon’s creative spirit remains entirely unbroken. In the midst of her health challenges, she channelled her energy into the studio, completing a brand-new album titled Comes in Waves, set for release this August.
For the artist behind timeless anthems like You’re So Vain, music has once again served as a vital anchor. “Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,” she reflected. “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.”
Closing her statement with a deep expression of gratitude for her children, family, carers, and medical team, Simon offered a grounded perspective on her journey. “I do not consider Parkinson’s a gift or a blessing. It is neither. It is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening,” she wrote. “These days I move more slowly, I lean on others more than I once did, and I have learned to accept that every day will look a little different. But I am still very much here.”
