July 28, 2026, 9:52 a.m. ET
Singer Carly Simon, known for hit songs like “You’re So Vain” and “Mockingbird,” announced she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in a statement to USA TODAY on Monday, July 27.
“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,” Simon, 83, told the outlet. “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.”
Simon said her battle with the disease, a degenerative syndrome that results in the slow loss of brain circuitry involved in movement, cognition and behavior, began with arthritis in her knees and one of her hips.
“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 explained. “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.”
Simon revealed that her mobility has continued to worsen despite three joint replacement surgeries, saying she has trouble standing from low furniture. Alongside these surgeries, Simon also had surgery for basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.
“The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public,” Simon explained, adding “I have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine.”
In addition to her physical symptoms, Simon’s recent health diagnoses have also taken a mental toll, with Parkinson’s causing “anxiety, depression, exhaustion and apathy.”
“The apathy is particularly strange,” Simon said. “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.”
Despite her struggles, however, Simon remains resilient: “I am still writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering and occasionally getting trapped in an overstuffed chair. These days I move more slowly, I lean on others more than I once did and I have learned to accept that every day will look a little different. But I am still very much here.”
Carly Simon to release new album this August
While Simon has kept a low profile amidst her health struggles during recent years, she said has not stopped working, turning to music to express the turmoil of her recent experiences.
“Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times [than] I can count,” Simon said. “It is like a cat or dog that quietly appears beside you when it senses you are not quite yourself.”
Simon said writing new music “gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room,” as well as “reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life.”
“I do not consider Parkinson’s 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,” the popstar added.
Simon has compiled some of her recent work into an album, “Comes in Waves.” The project, Simon’s 24th studio album, is set to release on Friday, Aug. 14.
Does Carly Simon live in Massachusetts?
Originally from New York City, Carly Simon is a longtime resident of Martha’s Vineyard. She moved to a compound in Vineyard Haven after marrying James Taylor in 1972, buying the home from Taylor after their divorce and renaming it Hidden Star Hill.
Simon’s Massachusetts home sits at 25 acres, with a gazebo, multiple barns, a horse shed, a tennis court and a swimming pool, according to Realtor.com.
