By Jeff Nelson, People | Carly Simon is opening up about her private health struggles. The “You’re So Vain” singer, 83, has Parkinson’s disease, she revealed July 27 in a statement obtained by PEOPLE; in the same statement, the music icon also announced that she underwent surgery for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, amid her Parkinson’s diagnosis and treatment.
So 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’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease.
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.
The 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. After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process.
But my mobility continued to worsen. I 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.
. . . . .. . . ..
The health news comes as Simon prepares to release Comes in Waves, her first original full-length album since 2008.
Simon — who lives on Martha’s Vineyard — shares two children, daughter Sally, 52, and son Ben, 49, with her first husband, fellow musician James Taylor, 78.
. . . . . . . . . .
Parkinson’s is a nervous system disorder that affects movement, according to the Mayo Clinic; symptoms can include tremors, stiffness, slowed movement and balance issues, and it can also cause slurred speech. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, medications and sometimes surgery can treat its symptoms.
Back to the Future actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed in the 1990s, was one of the first celebrities to bring awareness to the disease to the mainstream with his Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Other musicians, including Neil Diamond, Ozzy Osbourne and Linda Ronstadt, have also opened up about their experiences with the progressive disease.
. . . . . . . . . .
Read more of Ms. Simon’s story here:
https://people.com/carly-simon-reveals-parkinsons-disease-cancer-diagnosis-12020645
Photo: Carly Simon | In July 1982, Carly appeared on the cover of Stereo Review in a photo by Lynn Goldsmith. The magazine even offered the cover as a poster for readers. Did you have a copy hanging on your wall?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1568467534635536&set=pb.100044169142552.-2207520000&type=3
