Singer-songwriter Carly Simon, 83, has revealed she is living with Parkinson's disease and has been treated for basal cell carcinoma skin cancer, explaining her long absence from performing and recording. In a candid letter posted to Instagram, Simon said the diagnoses spurred her to finish her first album of new material in 18 years, titled "Comes In Waves", as she felt an urgency to complete songs before it became too late.

Simon, who last performed live at a 2018 Tibet House benefit and last released an album of new songs in 2008, skipped her own Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2022. She wrote openly about the toll of Parkinson's, including fatigue, apathy and mobility problems that began with joint pain and led to three joint replacement surgeries before a Mayo Clinic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis. She also described the skin cancer's removal from her face as compounding her lifelong self-criticism about her appearance, noting the irony given she wrote "You're So Vain". The new album's lead single, "Howl", was released last month.