Legendary singer Carly Simon has revealed she has retreated from the public eye as she learns to live with Parkinson’s disease, while also sharing she has been diagnosed with cancer14:19, 27 Jul 2026Updated 14:45, 27 Jul 2026Carly Simon has revealed she's been living with Parkinson’s disease and cancer after a seven year absence from the public eye.‌The singer, best known for hits including You're So Vain and Nobody Does It Better, said that she has purposely remained out of the spotlight as she learned how to live with the disorder. At the same time, Simon also announced that during this same period she underwent treatment for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, on her face.‌Simon, 83, said the cancer cells were removed but she has become 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," she said of her surgery.Her last public appearance was in October 2019, as she promoted her memoir Touched By The Sun: My Friendship with Jackie at SiriusXMStudios in New York. She was indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 but did not attend her own ceremony, which followed the tragic deaths of her two sisters from cancer just days apart.The Academy and Oscar award-winner said she felt compelled to give an update on her health issues after being 'touched' by fans reaching out through genuine concern. Simon said living with Parkinson's was 'difficult, frustrating and sometimes frightening', but she is learning to adapt.‌In a statement to People, the singer said: "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."Simon said her problems began with arthritis in both knees and one hip. She had all three joints replaced but the recovery process was far from straightforward and her mobility issues worsened.‌"I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm. Overstuffed furniture became my enemy," she said. "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," she explained.Simon said she is taking medication to help with the symptoms but the effects of the disease remain unpredictable. "Parkinson’s is usually associated with movement, tremors, and balance, but it can affect much more than the body," she said. "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."‌Simon said due to her mobility issues, the Parkinson's diagnosis and the cancer treatment, withdrawing from the public eye has been the most 'palatable' response for her.Despite her ongoing health struggles, Simon said she has not stopped working and has began recording a new album, which she hast titled Comes in Waves."Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times that I can count," shared the star. "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," she concluded.Article continues belowThe singer was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. She won an Academy Award (Oscar), a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award all for the same song, "Let the River Run" from the film Working Girl in 1989.