CARLY Simon has announced her Parkinson’s disease and cancer diagnoses after her years-long absence from the public eye.
The 83-year-old singer opened up about her health battles in a statement on Monday.
“So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been doing. The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” the You’re So Vain hitmaker told People.
“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. Parkinson’s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable,” she continued.
“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.”
Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time, with tremors, stiffness, and balance issues being common symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Carly recalled when she first began experiencing symptoms after undergoing multiple surgeries.
“The problems began with arthritis in both knees and one hip. I eventually had all three joints replaced, out with the old and in with delicate bouquets of metal and plastic.
“After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process,” she said.
“But my mobility continued to worsen. I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm. Overstuffed furniture became my enemy.
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“Once seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently, like a guest who had badly overstayed her welcome.”
Carly added, “Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help. 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.”
She said she began treatment shortly after and has been managing the symptoms with medication.
Carly went on to share that at the same time, she was also battling basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, on her face.
“The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public,” the music icon, who survived breast cancer after her diagnosis in 1997, admitted.
“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.”), and this gave my inner critic quite a lot of new material.
“Between my mobility issues, the Parkinson’s diagnosis, the surgery, and the emotional effects of it all, withdrawing from public view was the most palatable reaction.
“If a person is allowed to hibernate during both winter and summer, then I have become an all-season bear.”
Despite the everyday challenges of both illnesses, Carly vows to keep moving forward and focus on her music.
The Nobody Does It Better singer even has a new album on the way, which will be her first original full-length album since 2008.
“But I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working.
“In the middle of all this, I began recording a new album, Comes in Waves. That still feels mysterious to me.”
She continued, “Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times that I can count. It is like a cat or dog that quietly appears beside you when it senses you are not quite yourself.”
“The album includes songs and fragments of songs that had been waiting for me, some for years.
“There were melodies, verses, and ideas written down and tucked away for some unknown future when I would have the time and attention to finish them.
“Apparently, that future is now,” Carly revealed.
She added that since her Parkinson’s diagnosis, she’s been “learning how to live with” the disease and is leaning on her family and friends for their support.
Carly also shared her gratitude for her fans, who influenced her decision to reveal her health issues after expressing concerns about her distance from the spotlight.
The musician has maintained her privacy in recent years, and hasn’t been seen in public since October 2019, when she visited SiriusXM Studios in New York City to promote her memoir, Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie.
She even skipped the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Los Angeles in November 2022 after receiving the exclusive honor.
Sara Bareilles and Olivia Rodrigo honored the legendary songwriter with performances of her hits Nobody Does It Better and You’re So Vain at the ceremony.