Carly Simon Reveals Parkinson’s Disease and Cancer Diagnoses

The 83-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer also disclosed treatment for basal cell carcinoma and announced her first new album since 2009.

Carly Simon disclosed a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in a public letter to fans on Monday, July 27, describing the physical and emotional toll of the illness while simultaneously announcing Comes in Waves, her first studio album in nearly 20 years. The 83-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee said she had been living with the diagnosis for some time before deciding to speak publicly about it.

Simon Describes the Onset and Daily Reality of Parkinson’s

Simon traced the beginning of her health struggles to arthritis in both knees and one hip, which eventually required three joint replacement surgeries. She initially attributed her worsening mobility to surgical recovery, but the decline continued. “I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm,” she wrote. “Overstuffed furniture became my enemy.”

Beyond the physical symptoms, Simon was candid about the neurological and psychological dimensions of the disease. She described experiencing “anxiety, depression, exhaustion and apathy,” singling out the apathy as particularly disorienting. “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 wrote. “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 noted the illness’s unpredictability. “There is no tidy or predictable schedule to the illness,” Simon said. “It does not consult my calendar before deciding what kind of day I am going to have.”

Skin Cancer Surgery Added to the Challenges

Concurrent with her Parkinson’s treatment, Simon underwent surgery for basal cell carcinoma on her face. The cancer was removed, but she said the procedure affected her appearance and deepened her reluctance to be seen in public. “I have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine,” she wrote, noting the irony given that she authored “You’re So Vain.”

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Parkinson’s itself is incurable, though medicines and treatments can help manage symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Withdrawal from Public Life Led to a New Album

Simon framed her extended absence from public view as a coping strategy, writing that between her mobility issues, the diagnosis, the surgery, and the emotional weight of it all, stepping back became necessary. She described herself as having become “an all-season bear” in hibernation.

That period of withdrawal, however, produced creative results. Simon said she had melodies, verses, and ideas stored away, and that the time and attention required to finish them had finally arrived. The result is Comes in Waves, due August 14, her first new album since 2009’s Never Been Gone. The record was made at her longtime home in Martha’s Vineyard and produced by longtime collaborator Paul Samwell-Smith. Her children Ben and Sally Taylor appear on the album, and Sally also created the cover art. The lead single, “Howl,” is already available.

Despite everything, Simon was clear about her disposition. “I have not stopped living,” she wrote.

A Hall of Famer Who Waited 26 Years for Induction

Simon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, some 26 years after first becoming eligible. She told Rolling Stone at the time that the news left her dumbfounded: “There’s that first thought of, ‘I don’t believe it. It must be the House of Pancakes I just got into.’ Truly, I was dumbfounded. I thought they must be mistaken.”

What we know

• Carly Simon, 83, publicly disclosed a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in a statement released Monday, July 27.
• Simon’s health struggles began with arthritis in both knees and one hip, leading to three joint replacement surgeries.
• She also underwent surgery for basal cell carcinoma on her face during the same period; the cancer was removed.
• Simon described Parkinson’s symptoms including anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy.
• Her new album Comes in Waves is scheduled for release on August 14 and was recorded at her Martha’s Vineyard home, produced by Paul Samwell-Smith.
• The album features her children Ben and Sally Taylor; Sally also created the cover art.
• The lead single from the album, “Howl,” is currently available.
• Comes in Waves is Simon’s first new studio album since Never Been Gone in 2009, a gap of nearly 20 years.

The take

Carly Simon’s public disclosure arrives at a moment when the music world has grown more accustomed to artists speaking openly about chronic illness, but the specificity and literary quality of her letter set it apart from the standard health announcement. Simon has always been an unusually confessional writer; the same instinct that produced “You’re So Vain” and “The Right Thing to Do” is visible in her description of apathy as a brain that has “temporarily misplaced the guest list.” That voice is intact, which is itself significant news.

Parkinson’s has touched the classic rock world before. The disease’s progressive nature makes the announcement of a new album all the more striking. Historically, artists managing degenerative neurological conditions have found the recording studio a more accessible creative space than live performance, and Simon’s choice to work at her Martha’s Vineyard home with a trusted long-term collaborator in Paul Samwell-Smith reflects that practical reality. Samwell-Smith, best known as a founding member of the Yardbirds, has worked with Simon across multiple projects, and that continuity of relationship likely made the creative process more manageable.

The nearly 20-year gap since Never Been Gone is long even by the standards of legacy artists who have slowed their output. That the illness was a significant factor in that silence, and that Simon is now choosing to name it publicly while simultaneously releasing new work, suggests she is framing this chapter as continuation rather than conclusion.

Why it matters

For classic rock listeners who grew up with Simon’s catalog, the letter is a reminder that the artists who shaped the 1970s singer-songwriter era are now navigating the realities of aging in real time. Simon’s willingness to describe Parkinson’s in granular, unsentimental terms, including the apathy that resists easy explanation, gives the announcement a weight beyond a standard health update. It also reframes Comes in Waves as something more than a comeback record; it is the documented output of an artist working through serious illness, which changes how the music will be heard.

What’s next

Comes in Waves is scheduled for release on August 14. The lead single “Howl” is available now. No tour or live appearances have been announced in connection with the album.

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