Carly Simon, 83, Reveals 'Frightening' Parkinson's Disease and Skin Cancer Diagnoses But Insists 'I Have Not Stopped Living and Working'

Carly Simon, 83, revealed her prolonged absence from the spotlight is due to multiple health woes, including being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and skin cancer.

"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," the singer shared in a personal message on Monday, July 27.

"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 explained. "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's issues started with arthritis in both knees and one hip. However, even after having three joints replaced, her "mobility continued to worsen."

"Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help," said the musician. "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."

"During this same period, I was also treated for basal cell carcinoma on my face," Simon shared. "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 spilled.

Despite the setbacks, the star insisted, "I have not stopped living, and I have not stopped working."

In fact, amid her struggles, she recorded a brand new album, Comes in Waves.

"Music has always known when to arrive. It has rescued me more times that I can count," Simon expressed. "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."

Though she admitted Parkinson’s can be "difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening," she's still "writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering, and occasionally getting trapped in an overstuffed chair."

"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," the "You're So Vain" crooner concluded. "But I am still very much here."