Inside Carly Simon's tragic family history amid Parkinson's reveal

Music icon Carly Simon is opening up about her health struggles after years away from the spotlight.

In a lengthy statement shared with People magazine on Monday, July 27, the 84-year-old revealed that she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease while also battling another bout of cancer.

The decorated artist said her health struggles began with severe arthritis that led to multiple joint replacement surgeries. When her mobility continued to decline, doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed her with Parkinson’s disease. During the same period, she also underwent surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma from her face, a battle that left her feeling self-conscious and contributed to her decision to retreat from public life.

Despite the challenges, Simon made it clear she never stopped creating. While adjusting to treatment, she quietly recorded Comes in Waves, her first full-length album since 2008.

Notably, Simon has a family history of cancer, and it was not the first time she has battled cancer.

Carly Simon survived breast cancer in 1997

The Grammy-winner was previously diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She opted for a double mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery.

She also underwent chemotherapy.

Carly Simon’s sisters and brother died of cancer

Simon’s older sisters, Joanna and Lucy, died of cancer a day apart in 2022, causing her to miss her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that year.

Joanna, who was an opera singer, died of thyroid cancer on Oct. 19 at age 85. Meanwhile, Lucy, a Tony-award nominated Broadway composer, passed away the following day from metastatic breast cancer at age 82.

Their younger brother, Martha Vineyard photographer Peter Simon, passed away in 2018 at age 71 after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

Who are Carly Simon’s kids Sally Taylor and Ben Taylor?

Carly Simon was married to fellow musician James Taylor from 1972 to 1983. The former couple welcomed two children together, Sally and James Taylor, who inherited their parents’ musical gifts and went on to have successful musical careers of their own.

After her split with her first husband, Taylor was engaged to musician Russ Kenkel from 1985 to 1986.

In 1987, Simon married writer, poet, and businessman James Hart. The couple were together for two decades before splitting in 2007.

Read Carly Simon health statement in full

In her statement shared with People magazine, Simon detailed her declining health but assured fans she has not given up on music.

“So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been doing. The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease.

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. 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.

The problems began with arthritis in both knees and one hip. I eventually had all three joints replaced, out with the old and in with delicate bouquets of metal and plastic. After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process.

But my mobility continued to worsen. 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.

Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help. My family and I knew that something more was going on. After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

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.

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. 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.

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.

During this same period, I was also treated for basal cell carcinoma on my face. The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public. I have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine (check out the irony of having written You’re So Vain.), and this gave my inner critic quite a lot of new material.

Between my mobility issues, the Parkinson’s diagnosis, the surgery, and the emotional effects of it all, withdrawing from public view was the most palatable reaction. If a person is allowed to hibernate during both winter and summer, then I have become an all-season bear.

But I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working.

In the middle of all this, I began recording a new album, Comes in Waves. That still feels mysterious to me. Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times that I can count. It is like a cat or dog that quietly appears beside you when it senses you are not quite yourself.

The album includes songs and fragments of songs that had been waiting for me, some for years. There were melodies, verses, and ideas written down and tucked away for some unknown future when I would have the time and attention to finish them.

Apparently, that future is now.

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.

I do not consider Parkinson’s a gift or a blessing. It is neither. It is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening. I am still learning how to live with it and how to accept it without feeling that I have surrendered something essential.

I am still writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering, and occasionally getting trapped in an overstuffed chair.

I am deeply grateful to my children, my family, my friends, my caregivers, and the medical professionals who have helped me through this. Their love and patience have carried me through days when my own reserves were not enough.

I wanted to share this now because so many people have reached out with genuine concern. I am touched by that concern, even when I have not known how to respond.

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.

With love,

Carly"