Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Pens Heartfelt Letter to Fans Revealing Parkinson’s Diagnosis and Surgery to Remove Cancer From Her Face

When walking into the studio, it was nearly impossible for Carly Simon not to record a hit. Throughout the 1970s, she released songs like “Coming Around Again,” “Mockingbird,” and her classic, “You’re So Vain.” And for decades, her music climbed the charts. But in 2009, she released her last album, Never Been Gone. While fans have waited almost two decades, Simon announced a new album, Comes in Waves, was on the way. But the news came with both Parkinson’s disease and cancer. 

Not the news fans wanted to hear, but Simon believed it was time to offer an update on her health. Releasing a statement, the singer announced she was suffering from Parkinson’s while undergoing treatment for a form of skin cancer. “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.” 

Taking some time to find balance in her life, Simon refrained from making any statement. Instead, she explained, “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.”

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Revealing that decades of strain on her body left her both in pain and struggling, Simon noted that at times, she couldn’t even walk. Seeking help from doctors, the singer learned she had Parkinson’s. 

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Carly Simon Goes From Parkinson’s To Cancer

Trying to show what living with Parkinson’s was like, Simon claimed, “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.”

As for the cancer, thankfully, doctors were able to remove the affected area. But it left Simon feeling unsure about her appearance. “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.”

While still learning to live with Parkinson’s, Simon isn’t done leaving her mark in the music industry. “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.”

Simon’s return to the airwaves will take place on August 14, when she releases Comes in Waves, her first studio album in more than 15 years.

(Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)