The musician Carly Simon has revealed that she has Parkinson’s disease in a statement shared 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,” Simon said. “The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease.”
Simon’s music career has endured for many decades since she won the Grammy award for best new artist in 1972, with beloved hits including You’re So Vain, Let the River Run and Nobody Does It Better.
“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,” said Simon, who turned 83 last month. She said that she was still in the process of accepting the condition “without feeling that I have surrendered something essential”.
“Parkinson’s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable,” she said. “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 affects more than 10 million people worldwide, with 90,000 people diagnosed every year in the US alone per the Parkinson’s Foundation. Common symptoms include tremor, stiffness, slowed movement and balance issues, as well as depression, anxiety and feelings of apathy. There is no cure, but treatment can help manage symptoms and restore quality of life.
“There is no tidy or predictable schedule to the illness,” Simon said. “It does not consult my calendar before deciding what kind of day I am going to have.”
The singer said that her health issues began after she had a knee and hip replacement due to arthritis. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in a consultation at the Mayo clinic, a private US healthcare facility.
Simon said that her feelings of apathy brought on by the condition had been particularly challenging. “It is not simply sadness or laziness,” she said. “It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list.”
During the same period, Simon said that she underwent treatment for basal cell carcinoma on her face. The cancer was removed, but the surgery altered her appearance and made her self-conscious about being seen in public.
“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,” she said.
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The artist added that the recording process for her new album, Comes in Waves, had given shape to her days. The record is scheduled for release on 14 August.
“It gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room,” she said. “It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life.”
Music “has rescued me more times that I can count”, she said.
Simon ended her statement by thanking her doctors, family and friends for their support. “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,” she concluded. “But I am still very much here.”
