The Overlooked Red Flag Carly Simon Experienced Before Her Parkinson's Diagnosis

Carly Simon's Parkinson's disease diagnosis wasn't triggered by a dramatic moment. In an Instagram statement shared in July 2026, the "You're So Vain" hitmaker shared that she first started noticing something was amiss shortly after she underwent a surgery that replaced both her knees and her hip. When she started experiencing difficulties in walking afterward, she naturally chalked them up to the surgery. However, when her mobility continued to worsen over time, she started to suspect that her health issues went beyond the surgery recovery process. 

At first, she couldn't raise herself from low chairs without support, and she only faced more difficulties when she had to sit on overstuffed furniture. As she described it, "Once seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently, like a guest who had badly overstayed her welcome." Simon added, "Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help." 

After undergoing several tests, the celebrity was diagnosed with an illness that can have life-threatening complications: Parkinson's disease. The Parkinson's Foundation states that one of the earliest symptoms of the disease is experiencing pain or stiffness in the hips or shoulders. It is also common to experience difficulty with movement and walking. Additionally, in one thread in Parkinson's News Today, many people confirmed that difficulty in walking was one of the first Parkinson's disease symptoms they experienced.

Notably, in Simon's Instagram statement, she shared that she had begun to take medication for her muscle stiffness and other symptoms. The Grammy winner also took the opportunity to speak about a lesser-talked-about aspect of Parkinson's disease.

In Carly Simon's Instagram post, she drew attention to how everybody talks about the physical problems that Parkinson's disease brings on while largely ignoring the impact it has on mental health. After writing that she had experienced depression, anxiety, and apathy, she admitted, "The apathy is particularly strange." She continued, "You can find yourself lying there like a starfish drying in the sun, arms pointing in all directions, while nothing inside is telling you to get up, read, watch, write, sing, call someone, or do much of anything at all." 

Simon admittedly found it difficult to put her feelings into words because she knew that they weren't triggered by laziness or sadness. The best way she could describe her feelings was that her brain had just stopped urging her to live her life. According to The Parkinson's Foundation, Simon isn't alone in her feelings, as around 40% of people who have been diagnosed with the disease also find themselves becoming apathetic. Additionally, the Parkinson's Foundation estimates that around 50% of people who have been diagnosed with the disease will face depression in some form and around 40% will deal with anxiety. 

Some may face depression after constantly dealing with negative thoughts about their condition and experiencing social isolation due to their symptoms. Moreover, Parkinson's disease interferes with the parts of the brain that control thinking and emotions and also causes an imbalance in neurotransmitters, which are believed to determine a person's mood. 

Ultimately, it seems that Simon's post shined a light on the many myths you should stop believing about Parkinson's disease as well as the symptoms of Parkinson's disease that you shouldn't ignore.