Legendary singer Carly Simon reveals battle with Parkinson's disease
Carly Simon, the voice behind the hit "You're So Vain," explains why she stepped away from the public eye: "There are days when I am so tired that I cannot start the day."
Legendary singer and songwriter Carly Simon has revealed that she is dealing with Parkinson's disease, after keeping her medical condition a secret for years. In an emotional statement, the 83-year-old artist explained that she had stayed out of the public eye in recent years while learning to cope with the disease.
"So many people have written to me and asked why I disappeared and how I am doing," she wrote. "The truth is that I have been learning how to live with Parkinson's disease. It took me time to understand the diagnosis, to adapt to it, and to decide how much I wanted to share about it publicly."
She noted that the disease is unpredictable: "There are days when I am so tired that I cannot start the day, and on other days it gives me a little more space to move, think, work, and feel like myself."
Simon explained that the health struggles began with arthritis in both knees and a hip, leading to three joint replacement surgeries. At first, she thought the difficulty in walking was part of the recovery process, but her condition continued to deteriorate. "I had difficulty getting up from low chairs and deep sofas without someone giving me a hand," she said. After comprehensive tests, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's and began medication to alleviate stiffness and other symptoms.
Additionally, Simon revealed that she simultaneously underwent surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma from her face, a common type of skin cancer. The combination of the neurological disease, the surgery, and the change in her physical appearance caused her to withdraw from the public.
Simon is one of the most influential creators in American music and a winner of two Grammy Awards. She broke through in the early 70s with a series of mega-hits, including "You're So Vain," "Anticipation," and "Nobody Does It Better," the theme song for the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me."
Despite the challenges, Simon emphasizes that she is not giving up:
"I don't see Parkinson's as a gift or a blessing. It is a difficult, frustrating, and sometimes scary disease. But I haven't stopped living and I haven't stopped working."
Working on her new album, "Comes in Waves," which is expected to be released on August 14 (her first with original material since 2008), gave her a sense of purpose during this difficult period. "The music gave shape to days that didn't always have a shape. It reminded me that a disease can change your life, but it doesn't have to become your whole life."
