Inside Carly Simon’s Health Struggles: From Cancer to Parkinson’s

American singer-songwriter Carly Simon recently opened up about her health struggles. The 83-year-old You’re So Vain singer shared that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and had undergone surgery for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, while learning how to manage her Parkinson’s diagnosis.

The news comes ahead of Simon's release of her first original, full-length album since 2008, Comes in Waves.

In addition to her Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, Simon has battled cancer twice in the past. Simon has also lost her family to cancer.Her sisters, Joana and Lucy, both passed away due to cancer just a day apart. Joana had passed away due to thyroid cancer, while Lucy passed away due to metastatic breast cancer.

“As sad as this day is, it's impossible to mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives that they lived. We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking courses for one another, we were each other's secret shares. The co-keepers of each other's memories," Simon shared.

Carly Simon’s battle with breast cancer

In 1997, Simon was diagnosed with breast cancer after noticing a lump in her breast. She chose to go public with her diagnosis as she didn’t want her condition to be exaggerated by news reports at the time.

“It takes some time to get used to the fear of having it. But, I’ve always thought of myself as being a warrior,” she shared.

After consulting multiple doctors, Simon eventually opted to undergo a double mastectomy, followed by breast reconstruction surgery. A mastectomy is a surgical procedure which involves the removal of the whole breast. Breast reconstruction surgery helps women who have undergone mastectomy to maintain a sense of self and feel comfortable in their own skin.

Even though she only required surgery to treat her cancer, Simon decided to play it safe and undergo chemotherapy as well.

“I was in the hospital for one night. Because they got everything during the procedure and the prognosis was good, my doctor gave me the option of whether to have chemo. I decided to play it safe,” she shared.

Eventually, Simon was declared cancer-free.

Carly Simon’s skin cancer

Simon shared in a statement in July 2026 that she had undergone treatment for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, with approximately 8 out of 10 skin cancer cases being basal cell carcinoma. Simon added that she had the cancer removed from her face through surgery.

“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,” she shared.

Alongside her treatment and battle with skin cancer, Simon had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder, characterized by tremors, slowed movement and stiffness.

“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,” she wrote.

Simon is still currently undergoing treatment for Parkinson’s.

Reflecting on her health struggles, from cancer to Parkinson’s, Simon remains resolute as she prepares to release new music to the public.

“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,” she wrote.

Simon also added that she is grateful for all the love and support that she has received so far, writing, “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.”