Neil Diamond Says He Has Finally Accepted His Parkinson’s Diagnosis: ‘A Calm Has Moved In’

“I have to make the best of it, and so I am,” the music legend says of his Parkinson’s diagnosis, which he disclosed in 2018, in an upcoming interview on CBS Sunday Morning

Neil Diamond is coming to terms with having Parkinson’s disease.

In an interview set to air on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend, the “Hello Again” singer, 82, shares that it has only been “in the last few weeks” that he has accepted his diagnosis, which he first made public in 2018.

“But somehow, a calm has moved in, and the hurricane of my life, and things have gotten very quiet, as quiet as this recording studio,” he tells reporter Anthony Mason. “And, I like it. I find that I like myself better. I’m easier on people. I’m easier on myself. And the beat goes on, and it will go on long after I’m gone.”

The singer retired from touring five years ago, but that hasn’t stopped him from reaching out to his devoted fans.

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“I’m still doing it. And I don’t like it. But the … this is me; this is what I have to accept,” he says in the interview. “And I’m willing to do it. And, OK, so this is the hand that God’s given me, and I have to make the best of it, and so I am. I am.”

In December, the New York native surprised fans and audience members during a performance of the musical about his life, A Beautiful Noise, with an impromptu rendition of his iconic song “Sweet Caroline.”

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The appearance marked the first time he had performed in his hometown since 2017, and was a rare sighting of the music legend.

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A BEAUTIFUL NOISE ON BROADWAY
Ahead of his surprise curtain-call singalong, Diamond walked the red carpet with his wife, Katie McNeil, and entered the theater to a standing ovation. When he took the mic to sing from his box seat at the theater, fans cheered and sang along to the 1969 pop classic.

During the interview on Sunday, Mason asks the star what was most difficult about watching his younger self depicted on stage.

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“It was all pretty hard,” Diamond says. “I was a little embarrassed. I was flattered and I was scared.”

“What were you scared of?” Mason asks.

“Being found out is the scariest thing you can hope, because we all have a façade. And the truth be known to all of ’em. I’m not some big star. I’m just me,” Diamond says.