Carly Simon’s 2 Early Parkinson’s Symptoms Included Arthritis

Carly Simon has Parkinson’s disease — and her first symptoms were masked by another common condition.

The iconic singer revealed her diagnosis in a lengthy statement yesterday, published on People and other outlets. In it, Simon shares that “the problems began” with arthritis in both knees and one hip. She got all three joints replaced, but still had trouble getting around. “I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process,” the “You’re So Vain” singer said.

But as she continued recovering from the surgeries, her mobility kept getting worse. It got to the point where she struggled with standing up from low chairs and deep couches. “Once seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently,” Simon said.

The final sign came when Simon experienced periods where she couldn’t walk without significant help. That, she said, was when she and her family “knew that something more was going on.” Simon underwent an evaluation at Mayo Clinic and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

The connection between arthritis and Parkinson’s is very real. In 2024, a group of researchers analyzed over 11,000 U.S. adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2020. They found that people with osteoarthritis (the most common form) had a 95% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s compared to people without. (People with rheumatoid arthritis actually have a reduced risk of getting Parkinson’s, possibly due to rheumatoid arthritis medications.)

So, Simon’s experience moving from arthritis to Parkinson’s isn’t unique — and the symptoms of both condtions have considerable overlap. Where arthritis can cause joint stiffness, Parkinson’s can lead to rigidity and slowness, which can all feel similar. Arthritis symptoms can also mask the start of Parkinson’s, as in Simon’s case.

Simon said she’s started medication to help manage them her mobility issues, but the disease is also affecting her mentally, bringing about an apathy she calls “particularly strange.” The singer described it in poetic terms: “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.”

This too is a common symptom of Parkinson’s, though we hear a lot less about it. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, about 40% of people with Parkinson’s experience apathy. The disease actually causes a drop in dopamine—the neurotransmitter that drives motivation—which can make it hard to keep up with routines and symptom management. Cue the vicious cycle of worsening symptoms and less willpower to address them.

For Simon, who also revealed that she’d been diagnosed with skin cancer, the diagnosis and symptoms led her to withdraw from public life. But, she says, she hasn’t stopped living or working, even recording a new album set to come out in August.

“Working on the music gave shape to days that did not always have much shape,” Simon said. “It gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room. It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life.”