Music
28 Jul 26

Carly Simon reveals Parkinson's disease diagnosis

Carly Simon

"It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list," the singer said.

Carly Simon revealed she has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in a statement on Monday.

The 83-year-old, best known for her 1972 hit 'You're So Vain,' had kept a low profile online until she announced her first album in 18 years last month.

In her statement, she said that many people have written to her, asking about her silence and how she was doing. "The truth is, I've been learning how to live with Parkinson's disease," she said.

"Parkinson's 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. You 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.

"This 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."

She also shared that she had surgery for basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer on her face. Although it was treated successfully, she said that the aftermath of how the surgery affected her appearance made her "more self-conscious about being seen in public" and gave her "inner critic quite a lot of new material."

"Music has always known when to arrive," she said about her upcoming album. "It has rescued me more times than I can count. It is like a cat or dog that quietly appears beside you when it senses you are not quite yourself."

Comes In Waves will be released on August 14.

The album was created with the late rapper John Forté and producer Paul Samwell-Smith. Her family also contributed to it, with her son Ben featuring on songs as a musician and writer and her daughter Sally contributing both vocals and cover design for the record's first single, 'Howl'.

"I do not consider Parkinson's a gift or a blessing," she said. "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.

"I am still writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering, and occasionally, getting trapped in an overstuffed chair."