Carly Simon shares Parkinson's diagnosis

Simon explains that after her three joint surgeries, which started with arthritis, her “mobility continued to worsen.” She would often find herself having trouble standing or getting out of a chair, with “overstuffed furniture [becoming] my enemy.” For Simon, Parkinson’s came in the form of apathy, which 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.”

Nevertheless, despite the hardships of adjusting to her new reality, and amid being treated for basal cell carcinoma on her face, she has begun recording a new album. Comes In Waves is her first since 2008 and 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.” 

Aside from lending her voice to episodes of Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers and releasing two memoirs, Simon has remained outside the public eye over the last decade. Earlier this summer, she released the first single from Comes In Waves, “Howl.” The album is set to release on August 14. 

Read the whole letter at People.