Posted on 08/23/2013 6:55:29 PM PDT by mr fish
The 67-year-old, 11-time Grammy Award winner details her struggle with the disease in an interview with the AARP.
Grammy Award-winning artist Linda Ronstadt has revealed that a recent Parkinson's diagnosis has rendered her unable to sing.
In an interview with the AARP, the 67-year-old says that she was officially diagnosed with the degenerative disorder eight months ago after displaying symptoms as far back as eight years ago.
"I couldn't sing," she told AARP music reporter Alanna Nash, "and I couldn't figure out why. I knew it was mechanical. I knew it had to do with the muscles, but I thought it might have also had something to do with the tick disease that I had. And it didn't occur to me to go to a neurologist."
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Ronstadt says that she had undergone a shoulder operation, and she believed that to be the culprit for her trembling hands.
"Parkinson's is very hard to diagnose, so when I finally went to a neurologist and he said, 'Oh, you have Parkinson's disease,' I was completely shocked," she said. "I wouldn't have suspected that in a million, billion years."
Now, Ronstadt says she "can't sing a note." Throughout her career, which began when she was just 14 years old singing with her siblings, Ronstadt accumulated eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, a Tony Award and a Golden Globe nom for her role in The Pirates of Penzance. She released her first studio album in 1969 (Hand Sown… Home Grown) and her most recent in 2006 (Adieu False Heart).
Ronstadt recently penned a memoir, Simple Dreams, out Sept. 17, though the book does not address her diagnosis or the loss of her voice.
"No one can sing with Parkinson's disease," she tells AARP. "No matter how hard you try."
The publication's full interview with Ronstadt is slated to run on AARP.org next week.
I went to see Neil about 15 years ago for the first time. One of the most fun concerts I had ever been to. Great audience ambience.
I took a friend about 5 years later...not as good. Neil was 5 years older and so was the audience. What a difference 5 years make. ;)
Linda, in the late '60's was quiet a force in L.A. She played the Troubador very often. It was there she met two young men who played in different bands. Those two guys were Don Henley and Glenn Frey. It did not take long for Linda to see that these two guys were good singers, and would blend well with her vocals. She hired them from their respective bands to go on the road. As it worked out Henley and Frey roomed together while on that tour. They began to talk about what they wanted after Linda offered to hire them full-time with her band. But they had diffeent ideas. They told each other they wanted to form their own band. They went to Linda and her manager and discussed it with her. She was 100% supportive, even recommending they get certain other musicians for their band ( to be). That was the beginning of the Eagles. Without Linda Rhonstadt there would have been no Eagles, no "Hotel California", no "Desperado", no "Love Will Keep Us Alive".....none of those great songs.
I hate that Linda has to endure the pathos of Parkinsons Disease. It is unforgiving and unrelenting, until it takes away a person.
Funicello suffered from MS.
I often play Ronstadt’s CD “What’s New” with the late Nelson Riddle really nice. Yes, she’s a big time Lib, but would not wish ill of her with whats happening to her health now!
Thanks, very interesting background info.
She looks like every guy on the Sunset Strip had her back in the day.
Wonderful voice. Gave us music for the ages.
Sad for her that she has lost this important part of her being.
Nothing to forgive, in my opinion . . . but people can choose to act with class, or without it. And the choice is yours.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
One of the 2 concerts I ever went to was a Neal Diamond one...it WAS great. I chose things carefully...only tennis match I ever went to was Chris Evert and Billy Jean King
Hot but brain dead liberal stupid.
I stand corrected, thank you.
But aren’t the end results similar?
I thought she deserved her fame. A lovely voice, intelligently applied. Cute and sexy in her day. Her politics substantially diminished her, but if I could flip a switch and cure her Parkinsons, I’d do it.
I can name a lot of singers I don't like their politics in the least but like their music. I like her earlier music from back in the 70's and 80's.
I remember Raquel Welch singing “Different Drum” to the troops in Viet Nam. I remember thinking she had a great voice then I realized she was lip syncing.
She was doing it well as her lips matched the music perfect through out the song. I guess it is even possible that she was singing it but I don’t think so. She sure did look good tho.
She motivated me to expand my voice. I loved her songs but couldn’t sing in her range.
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