{"id":2518967,"date":"2026-07-27T12:59:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2518967"},"modified":"2026-07-27T12:59:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T12:59:51","slug":"carly-simon-reveals-parkinsons-disease-cancer-diagnoses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/carly-simon-reveals-parkinsons-disease-cancer-diagnoses\/","title":{"rendered":"Carly Simon Reveals Parkinson’s Disease, Cancer Diagnoses"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Carly Simon<\/strong><\/a> opened up about her yearslong absence from the public eye, revealing she was diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo 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\u2019ve been learning how to live with Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d the singer, 83, wrote in a statement shared by People<\/em><\/a> on Monday, July 27.<\/p>\n

Simon noted it has taken \u201csome time\u201d for her<\/a> to \u201cunderstand the diagnosis, to adjust to it, and to decide how much I wanted to say about it publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParkinson\u2019s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable. Some days I\u2019m so tired I can\u2019t get the day moving at all. On others, it gives me a little more room to move, think, work, and feel like myself,\u201d she continued. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Michael J. Fox and More Who Have Been Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tMichael J. Fox, No Doubt\u2019s Tom Dumont and more celebrities have been diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease over the years. Parkinson\u2019s is a nervous system disorder that worsens in the body over time, per the Mayo Clinic. While every person\u2019s battle with Parkinson\u2019s can look different. Symptoms include tremors, stiffness, slowing of movement, trouble balancing, slurring [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After \u201cthree replacement surgeries,\u201d the songwriter still had difficulty walking. It \u201ccontinued to worsen,\u201d which caused Simon to seek more medical assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm. Overstuffed furniture became my enemy. 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,\u201d she said. \u201cEventually, 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\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon began treatment, which included\u201dtaking medication to help with stiffness and other symptoms.\u201d She explained, \u201cThere is no tidy or predictable schedule to the illness. It does not consult my calendar before deciding what kind of day I am going to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cParkinson\u2019s is usually associated with movement, tremors, and balance, but it can affect much more than the body. It can bring anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy. The apathy is particularly strange,\u201d she wrote. \u201cYou can find yourself lying there like a starfish drying in the sun, arms pointing in all directions, while nothing inside is telling you to get up, read, watch, write, sing, call someone, or do much of anything at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon continued: \u201cThat has been one of the hardest things to explain. It is not simply sadness or laziness. It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list.\u201d<\/p>\n

As she began her Parkinson\u2019s treatment, Simon was faced with an additional challenge: basal cell carcinoma on her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public,\u201d she noted. \u201cI have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine (check out the irony of having written \u2018You\u2019re So Vain.\u2019), and this gave my inner critic quite a lot of new material.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon explained that \u201cwithdrawing from public view\u201d was the \u201cmost palatable reaction\u201d due to her \u201cmobility issues, the Parkinson\u2019s diagnosis, the surgery, and the emotional effects of it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a person is allowed to hibernate during both winter and summer, then I have become an all-season bear,\u201d she detailed. \u201cBut I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid her health battles, Simon found herself returning to music.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the middle of all this, I began recording a new album, Comes in Waves. That still feels mysterious to me. Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times [than] I can count,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comes in Waves<\/em> marks Simon\u2019s first original full-length album since 2008.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,\u201d she shared. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her lengthy statement, Simon addressed her decision to return to the public eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not consider Parkinson\u2019s a gift or a blessing. It is neither. It is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening. I am still learning how to live with it and how to accept it without feeling that I have surrendered something essential,\u201d she continued. \u201cI am still writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering, and occasionally getting trapped in an overstuffed chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

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