Neil Diamond is retiring from the stage after half a century on the road due to the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
Revealing the diagnosis in a statement on his website two days before his 77th birthday, the singer-songwriter said it was “with great reluctance and disappointment” that he was retiring from concert touring.
“I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years,” he added.
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The announcement means that the planned third leg of Diamond’s 50th anniversary tour, with dates scheduled for Australia and New Zealand in March, will not go ahead. Diamond offered his “sincerest apologies” for fans who had hoped to see him at the shows.
He added that he planned to continue writing and recording songs and pursuing “other projects”.
“My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement,” he wrote. “This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”
Fellow musicians poured out their messages of love and support:
Brooklyn-born Diamond began his career in 1962 in a duo with Jack Parker before releasing his first solo single in 1963. In 1966, he found chart success with two songs which would go on to number among his classic hits - Solitary Man and Cherry Cherry.
More hits followed in the years and decades to come, including Kentucky Woman, I Am...I Said, Forever In Blue Jeans, Song Sung Blue and his most well-known number, Sweet Caroline.
In total, Diamond “has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide, making him one of the bestselling artists in history,” The Times reports.
A prolific songwriter, Diamond also penned several songs that would go on to be hits for other artists, including I’m A Believer and Red, Red Wine.
Diamond has been married to his manager, Katie McNeil, since 2012. He has four children from his two previous marriages.
