The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Diamond to retire from touring
US musician Neil Diamond has announced he is retiring from touring following a recent diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
The Sweet Caroline singer, who turns 77 today, said he had made the decision with “great reluctance and disappointment” and thanked fans for their support.
The onset of the disease is said to have made it “difficult” for Diamond to “travel and perform on a large-scale basis”.
However the singer reassured fans that he plans to continue to write and record music “for a long time to come”.
“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring,” he said in a statement on his website.
“I have been so honoured 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 was due to embark on the third leg of his 50th anniversary tour in Australia and New Zealand in March.
The gigs followed concerts in Europe, including the UK and Ireland, and the US in 2017.
The veteran singer-songwriter is one of the world’s biggest-selling artists of all time, with more than 125 million records sold since the 1960s.
Some of his biggest early songwriting successes were The Monkees hits I’m A Believer and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You, and a litany of other artists went on to perform his tracks over the years, including Elvis Presley, Lulu and Deep Purple.