Ronstadt’s lost voice
After 40 years in the music business, Linda Ronstadt has stopped singing.
After 40 years in the music business, Linda Ronstadt has stopped singing, said Sam Tanenhaus in The New York Times. “I can’t do it because of my health,” says the 67-year-old. “I have Parkinson’s.” She holds out a trembling hand. “I can’t sing at all. I can’t sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ really.” She was diagnosed with the disease in June, but had suspected something was wrong for more than a decade. Fearful of doctors, she put off seeing a neurologist until a guitarist friend noticed her trembling hands, and insisted she go. “I never in a million years thought I had Parkinson’s. Now I don’t know what to do. I have to find a support group.” Ronstadt has seen her income plummet because, while she released more than 20 albums, she wrote few songs, so her royalty checks are small. “Writers make all the money.” Her biggest hits—like “You’re No Good” and “Heart Like a Wheel”—were all written by others. “I was making good money when I was touring. [Now] I just can’t do it,” she says. “If there was something I could work on, I’d work on it till I could get [my voice] back. If there was a drug I could take to get it back, I would take the drug. I’d take napalm. But I’m never going to sing again.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Making a police state out of the liberal university'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
8 looming climate tipping points that imperil our planet
The Explainer New reports detail the thresholds we may be close to crossing
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Try 6 free issues of The Week Junior
Spark your child's curiosity with The Week Junior - the award-winning current affairs magazine for 8-14s.
By The Week Published