Neil Diamond diagnosed with Parkinson’s, cancels remainder of 50th Anniversary Tour
On January 22, iconic singer, songwriter and performer Neil Diamond released a statement on his website announcing his retirement from touring due to recently being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The onset of the disease has made it difficult for him to travel and perform on a large-scale basis – but will allow the legendary crooner to continue writing, recording and developing new projects. Based on his doctors’ advice, the third leg of Diamond’s 50th Anniversary tour, set to land in Australia and New Zealand this March, has been cancelled. In Diamond’s own words:
“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.” ~ Neil Diamond
The Australia and New Zealand leg of his 50th Anniversary tour, announced in November, 2017, was scheduled to visit a number of outdoor stadiums as well as arena and winery shows in Australia and New Zealand. This would have been the third leg of the 50th Anniversary tour with Diamond selling out shows in the U.S. and Europe throughout 2017. Paul Dainty, President and CEO of TEG Dainty stated:
“I am devastated and saddened to hear the news of Neil’s illness and his retirement from touring. I have had the honour of promoting Neil’s numerous tours in Australia and New Zealand, he is one of the world’s greatest artists and we and his thousands and thousands of fans here will miss seeing him tour down under.”
The Sun reports that Neil Diamond sold over 130 million albums, won a Golden Globe Award and has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards. He’s had 38 of his songs in the Top 10 Billboard charts with 10 Number 1 singles: “Cracklin’ Rosie”, “Song Sung Blue”, “Longfellow Serenade”, “I’ve Been This Way Before”, “If You Know What I Mean”, “Desiree”, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, “America”, “Yesterday’s Songs”, and “Heartlight”. Diamond is one of the best selling artists of all time with 32 studio albums.
The Parkinson’s Foundation describes the disease as a neurodegenerative disorder that can cause tremors, slowness of movement and other symptoms. On January 24th, Diamond will celebrate his 77th birthday; and on January 28th The Recording Academy will honor him with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Contact: Deborah Radel at DRPR: deborah@drpr.us
Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
