Carly Simon Parkinson’s diagnosis revealed as new album nears
Carly Simon says she has Parkinson’s disease and was treated for facial skin cancer while finishing her first album in nearly 20 years.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Carly Simon Parkinson’s diagnosis is now public, after the 83-year-old singer-songwriter told fans she has been living with the disease during a long stretch away from public view.
In a letter to fans reported by Rolling Stone, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee said people had been asking about her silence and her health. Simon wrote that she has spent that time learning to live with Parkinson’s, a diagnosis she said took time to understand, accept and discuss publicly.
Simon said the illness has not followed a steady pattern. Some days, she wrote, fatigue keeps her from getting started; on others, she has more space to move, think, work and feel like herself.
What did Carly Simon say about Parkinson’s?
Simon said her health problems began with arthritis in both knees and one hip, followed by replacement surgeries for all three joints. She initially believed her trouble walking was part of the recovery, according to her letter.
Her mobility later worsened, she said. Simon described struggling to rise from low chairs and deep couches, and said there were periods when she could not walk without major help.
After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, Simon said she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She wrote that she began treatment, including medication for stiffness and other symptoms.
Parkinson’s is often linked with movement, tremors and balance, Simon told fans, but she said it can also affect mental and emotional health. In her account, the disease has brought anxiety, depression, exhaustion and apathy, with apathy among the hardest symptoms to explain.
Basal cell carcinoma treatment also kept her out of view
Simon also revealed she was treated for basal cell carcinoma on her face. She said the cancer was removed, but the surgery affected her appearance and made her more hesitant to be seen publicly.
The singer connected that self-consciousness to her famous 1972 hit “You’re So Vain,” writing that she had long been critical of her own appearance and that the surgery gave her “inner critic” more to work with.
Between Parkinson’s, mobility issues, surgery and the emotional weight of those events, Simon said pulling back from the public felt like the easiest response.
A new album arrived during the health struggles
Simon said the same period also produced a new album, Comes in Waves, though italic tags are not used here: Comes in Waves is scheduled for release on Aug. 14, according to Rolling Stone.
The record is Simon’s first new album in nearly 20 years, following 2009’s Never Been Gone. Rolling Stone reported that Comes in Waves was recorded at Simon’s longtime Martha’s Vineyard home and produced by collaborator Paul Samwell-Smith.
Her children, Ben Taylor and Sally Taylor, appear on the album, and Sally Taylor created the cover art. The lead single, “Howl,” has already been released.
Simon said the album grew from melodies, verses and ideas she had saved for a future moment when she could finish them. In her letter, she said working on music gave shape to days that often lacked it and reminded her that illness can alter a life without becoming the whole story.
Simon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, 26 years after first becoming eligible, Rolling Stone reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.