Carly Simon, 83, reveals Parkinson’s diagnosis and skin cancer surgery, ends silence with new album ‘Comes in Waves’

Break in public silence

Carly Simon, the 83-year-old singer-songwriter and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, ended years of public quiet on 27 July 2026 with a candid letter to fans. The statement, published by People, explained her absence and answered the concerns of those who had noticed her prolonged silence.

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.

She also revealed that she had been treated for a form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, on her face, which was successfully removed. The surgeries and the disease had made her withdraw, but she also offered a brighter note: a new album.

From joint pain to a Parkinson’s diagnosis

Simon’s path to diagnosis began with arthritis in both knees and one hip. She underwent three replacement surgeries, but her mobility continued to deteriorate. At times, she said, she could not walk without “considerable help”. Her family sensed something more was wrong.

After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, the Parkinson’s diagnosis was confirmed. She did not specify when that occurred, but she began treatment, including medication to help with stiffness and other symptoms.

The disease’s unpredictable hold

In her letter, Simon described the uneven nature of her condition.

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.

She detailed how Parkinson’s goes beyond motor symptoms, bringing anxiety, depression, exhaustion and a peculiar apathy. “You can find yourself lying there like a starfish drying in the sun,” she wrote, “arms pointing in all directions, while nothing inside is telling you to get up.” She captured the sensation as if the part of the brain that invites participation in life has misplaced the guest list.

Navigating skin cancer and self-image

Simultaneously, Simon underwent surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma on her face. The cancer was eliminated, but the procedure altered her appearance and deepened her self-consciousness. She wrote, “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.”

The physical changes, layered on top of the Parkinson’s symptoms, contributed to her withdrawal. She compared herself to “an all-season bear” that hibernates through both winter and summer.

Music as a salve: ‘Comes in Waves’

Even while housebound, Simon said music gave shape to days that had little structure. She announced that Comes in Waves, her first album of original songs since 2008, will be released on 14 August 2026. The album was recorded at her longtime home on Martha’s Vineyard and produced by Paul Samwell-Smith. Her children, Ben and Sally Taylor, appear on the recording; Sally also created the cover art. The lead single, “Howl”, is already out.

The record also features one of the last recordings by musician John Forté, who died in January 2026. Simon’s statement concluded, “I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working.”