Legendary singer reveals Parkinson’s and cancer diagnoses in heartbreaking health update

Carly Simon has revealed she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and skin cancer.The iconic singer, 83, has been absent from the spotlight for years, and revealed July 27 in a statement that her privacy was partly prompted by her health complications.“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 in a statement obtained by People.

“The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease.”She continued: “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. Parkinson’s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable.

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.”Simon went on to say that her health problems first started with arthritis in both of her knees and one hip, explaining, “I eventually had all three joints replaced, out with the old and in with delicate bouquets of metal and plastic.

After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process.”Carly Simon has revealed her Parkinson’s and skin cancer diagnoses (Getty)However, the “You’re So Vain” hitmaker’s mobility only worsened, and she found it increasingly difficult to stand up from chairs and had trouble walking.She was then evaluated at the Mayo Clinic and diagnosed with Parkinson’s, prompting her to start treatment including medication.

“There 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,” she said. Simon said that Parkinson’s has brought on mental symptoms as well as physical ones.

“It can bring anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy,” she explained. “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.”

She continued: “That 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.”

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