I know there are more momentous things going on in the world, but I just read this story this morning, and it made me sad. It also made me feel suddenly old.
How can it be that Linda Ronstadt, whose visage has been forever frozen in the amber of my memory like this:
...is now 67 years old, and doing interviews for AARP magazine?
She has revealed that she was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease about 8 months ago, and hasn't been able to sing a note for quite some time. She suspects that she started showing symptoms of the disease several years ago. Whatever your opinion may be of her artistic creativity, it's pretty hard to deny that she had one of the best voices in music. I own many of her albums, and though I haven't listened to any of them in years now, I enjoyed her singing for at least two decades.
It is somehow easier to accept the fact that Keith Richards is a grizzled, arthritic old rocker. But Linda Ronstadt nearing 70 years old? And no longer able to even carry a tune? That is hard to imagine.
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
Here's the final cut from her album "Prisoner in Disguise" It was written by John David Souther, who also sings harmony here.
10:51 AM PT: It was correctly pointed out that I mistakenly wrote that Linda was diagnosed with Parkinsons eight years ago. It was actually eight months ago. Thanks for being good editors.