The legendary Neil Diamond has broken the sad news that he will not be finishing his 50th-anniversary tour and will be retiring from the road after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The 76-year-old singer-songwriter was planning on continuing his tour celebrating his five decades as an icon Australia and New Zealand this March.
He made a brief statement to his fans:
“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years. My sincerest apologies to everyone who purchased tickets and were planning to come to the upcoming shows. I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.
My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”
Diamond is one of the best-selling artists of all time with sales reportedly over 100 million. He’s had 38 top ten songs on Billboard, and and nearly everyone has sung along to “Sweet Caroline” at one point in their lives.
(Via Variety)
