Singer-songwriter Carly Simon has shared that she’s living with Parkinson’s disease after spending several years out of the public eye. The 83-year-old, known for songs including “You’re So Vain” and “Nobody Does It Better,” recently revealed her diagnosis in a public statement.

“The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” Simon wrote.

Simon said she took time to understand the diagnosis and adjust to it before deciding to speak publicly. Her description of unpredictable symptoms may sound familiar to others living with Parkinson’s.

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Mobility Changes Led to a Diagnosis

Simon said her health concerns initially seemed connected to arthritis. She had both knees and one hip replaced but continued to have increasing difficulty getting around. At times, she needed significant help walking.

After an evaluation at Mayo Clinic, she learned that she had Parkinson’s disease.

Simon described Parkinson’s as unpredictable. “Some days I’m so tired I can’t get the day moving at all,” she wrote. “On others, it gives me a little more room to move, think, work, and feel like myself.”

“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.”

— Carly Simon

Parkinson’s is often associated with movement symptoms such as tremor, stiffness, slowed movement, and balance problems. But Simon emphasized that her experience goes beyond movement.

She described anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy — a lack of motivation or drive — as part of living with the condition.

“The apathy is particularly strange,” Simon wrote. She compared it to feeling like “the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list.”

She said she began treatment, including medication for stiffness and other symptoms. Parkinson’s affects each person differently, so treatment plans are individualized with a healthcare team.

‘Illness Can Change Your Life’ Without Defining It

During the same period, Simon was also treated for basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, on her face. The cancer was removed with surgery. She said the experience, combined with Parkinson’s symptoms and mobility challenges, contributed to her decision to stay away from public appearances.

Still, Simon has continued making music. Her new album, “Comes in Waves,” was released August 14. It’s her first album of original songs since 2008.

“I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working,” Simon wrote.

She said creating music helped give structure to difficult days. “Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,” she wrote. “It gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room. It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life.”

“Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape.”

— Carly Simon

Simon emphasized that she doesn’t view Parkinson’s as a gift or blessing and is still learning how to live with the changes it brings. “I am still writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering, and occasionally getting trapped in an overstuffed chair,” she wrote.

By sharing her diagnosis on her own terms, Simon is adding her voice to the public conversation about Parkinson’s. She’s sending a reminder that a diagnosis is one part of a person’s life — not the whole story.

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