Carly Simon opens up about her fight against Parkinson's: “I haven't stopped living or working”

Carly Simon has publicly revealed for the first time that she is living with Parkinson's disease. The 83-year-old American singer-songwriter shared a long, moving letter with her fans explaining the reasons behind her extended absence from public life, also revealing that she recently faced basal cell carcinoma on her face, which was successfully removed. Despite the difficulties, Simon has continued to write and record music: on August 14 she will release Comes in Waves, her first album of new material in many years.

"Many people have written to me, kindly asking why I've been relatively quiet, how I was doing and what I'd been up to", the musician begins. "The truth is that I've learned to live with Parkinson's disease. It took me time to understand the diagnosis, to accept it, and to decide how much I wanted to talk about it publicly". Simon describes an unpredictable illness that manifests differently from day to day: "Some days I'm so tired I can't even start my day. Other days, it gives me a bit more room to move, think, work and feel like myself".
The first symptoms, she says, had been mistaken for the effects of arthritis, which had forced her to undergo replacement surgery on both knees and a hip. After the surgeries, though, her mobility kept worsening. "I had trouble getting up from low chairs and deep sofas without someone offering me an arm. Upholstered furniture became my enemy. Once seated, I felt as though I'd been swallowed by the armchair and might stay there forever".

When even walking unassisted became difficult, Simon underwent a series of tests at the Mayo Clinic, where she received her diagnosis. Since then she has followed drug therapy to ease stiffness and other symptoms, but she points out that Parkinson's doesn't affect movement alone. "Parkinson's disease is usually associated with movement problems, tremors and balance issues, but it can affect far more than just the body. It can cause anxiety, depression, exhaustion and apathy". That last one, she explains, is one of the hardest aspects to describe: "It's not simply sadness or laziness. It's as if the part of the brain that sends out invitations to take part in life had temporarily misplaced the guest list". During the same period, the singer-songwriter also had to deal with basal cell carcinoma on her face. The surgery completely removed the tumor, but it took a toll on her relationship with her own image. "I've always been more critical of my looks than anyone could possibly imagine (just think of the irony of having written 'You're So Vain'), and this gave my inner critic plenty of fresh material".

Amid the physical difficulties, the surgeries and the emotional toll of the illness, Simon chose to step away from the spotlight. "If a person is allowed to hibernate in both winter and summer, then I've become a bear for all seasons". Music, however, never stopped being by her side. "I haven't stopped living and I haven't stopped working". It was during this very period that Comes in Waves took shape, a project built by recovering melodies, lyrics and ideas that had been left unfinished for years. "The album includes songs and fragments of songs that had been waiting for me, some for years. There were melodies, verses and ideas jotted down and set aside for some unspecified future, when I'd have the time and focus to finish them. Apparently, that future is now".
The singer-songwriter says that working on the album gave her back a sense of balance: "Music offered me a place to go without having to leave the room. It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of it".

Simon faces her condition with clarity. "I don't consider Parkinson's a gift or a blessing. It's neither one nor the other. It's hard, frustrating and sometimes frightening. I'm still learning to live with it and to accept it without feeling like I've given up something essential". The letter closes with a message of gratitude to her children, family, friends and the medical staff who have supported her through this journey, along with a line that sums up her state of mind: "Today I move more slowly, I rely on others more than before, and I've learned to accept that every day will be a little different. But I'm still here".

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