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Two-Time Grammy Winner Reveals Parkinson’s Disease And Cancer Diagnosis
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As she returns to the music scene after a 17-year absence, Carly Simon is getting candid about her health. The two-time Grammy winner, 83, revealed to People Monday that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She also shared that she’d been treated for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, not long after receiving her Parkinson’s diagnosis. “The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” she told the outlet in a statement. “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 ... 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.” There is no cure for Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative disease that can cause muscle stiffness, impaired speech and uncontrolled movement. The disease can be revealed by a mere tremor of the hand, according to the Mayo Clinic. As for undergoing basal cell carcinoma treatment, Simon noted, “The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public. 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.” A New York native, Simon rose to prominence in the early 1970s with a string of smash songs like “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” and “Nobody Does It Better,” the latter of which was used as the theme for the 1977 James Bond film, “The Spy Who Loved Me.” The 1972 classic “You’re So Vain” ― inspired in part by her brief romance with actor Warren Beatty ― is arguably Simon’s most generation-transcending hit. Janet Jackson sampled the song on her 2001 track “Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You),” and in 2013, Taylor Swift invited Simon to join her onstage during her Red Tour to perform it in duet. Olivia Rodrigo also sang a rendition of the song to honor Simon being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. A breast cancer survivor who underwent a mastectomy and chemotherapy in 1997, Simon has notably maintained a low public profile in recent years. Her last live performance took place in March 2018, when she appeared onstage during the 31st Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert & Gala at New York’s Carnegie Hall. And though she’d been slated to attend the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, she backed out following the deaths of her two sisters, Joanna and Lucy, just days before the event. In her note, Simon said she’d made the choice to step away from the spotlight. “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. “If a person is allowed to hibernate during both winter and summer, then I have become an all-season bear.” While Simon hasn’t released new music since 2008’s “This Kind of Love,” she acknowledged finding solace in the recording studio. Next month, she’s set to release “Comes In Waves,” her first studio album since 2009’s “Never Been Gone.” “Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,” she said. “It 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.” Simon concluded her statement by thanking her caregivers, extended family and her two children, Ben and Sally Taylor, whom she shares with her ex-husband, fellow musician James Taylor. “I do not consider Parkinson’s a gift or a blessing. It is neither. It is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening,” she said. “I am still learning how to live with it and how to accept it without feeling that I have surrendered something essential.” By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.