Carly Simon Reveals Parkinson’s Disease and Cancer Diagnosis

For years, fans wondered what had become of the reclusive hitmaker behind "You're So Vain." Now, Carly Simon is finally explaining the silence herself.

Carly Simon is opening up for the first time about the private health battles she has been facing behind closed doors. The singer revealed she has Parkinson's disease and was diagnosed with a form of skin cancer amid treatment of the former condition.

Carly Simon visits SiriusXM Studios on October 23, 2019 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

In a statement shared with multiple outlets, Simon announced that she underwent surgery for basal cell carcinoma. In her message, the music icon began by acknowledging that many fans have wondered why she's been so quiet in recent years.

"The truth is, I've been learning how to live with Parkinson's disease," Simon wrote. "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," she continued. "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 performs during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Opening Gala premiere of "Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives" at Radio City Music Hall on April 19 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images

She explained that the earliest signs of Parkinson's surfaced as arthritis in both knees and one hip. She eventually had all three joints replaced, but even after the surgeries, walking remained difficult.

At first, she chalked up her limited mobility to a slow recovery. "But my mobility continued to worsen," Simon said. "I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm."

"Overstuffed furniture became my enemy. Once seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently, like a guest who had badly overstayed her welcome."

Carly Simon talks about the paperback release of her memoir, "Boys in the Trees: A Memoir," at the Brattle Theater on November 5, 2016 in Cambridge, Massachussetts. | Source: Getty Images

Eventually, she couldn't walk at all without considerable assistance, and it was then that she and her family realized something more serious was going on. She underwent an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, where she finally received her diagnosis.

"I began treatment, including taking medication to help with stiffness and other symptoms. There is no tidy or predictable schedule to the illness. It does not consult my calendar before deciding what kind of day I am going to have," she shared.

Carly Simon attends the 2016 Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons honoring Irving Azoff at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 14, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images

Simon went on to reflect on how Parkinson's affected her far beyond the physical. Alongside anxiety and depression, she also experienced apathy — the symptom she found most puzzling of all.

"The apathy is particularly strange," Simon explained. "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."

"That has been one of the hardest things to explain. 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."

Carly Simon performs with her son, Ben Taylor, on "THE VIEW," on December 4, 2015. | Source: Getty Images

It was during this stretch of treatment that she also underwent surgery to remove the basal cell carcinoma on her face. Though the procedure succeeded in clearing the cancer, Simon says it left a visible mark on her appearance.

She admits the change has made her more self-conscious about being seen in public. Given everything she's endured, both physically and emotionally, stepping back from the spotlight became the most "palatable" option available to her.

Even so, she was firm on one point: "I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working."

Carly Simon arrives at the Oceana Partners Award Gala With Former Secretary Of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and HBO CEO Richard Pleple at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 30, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images

The project gave her something to hold onto.

"Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape. 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," she reflected.

"Come in Waves" is set for release on August 14.