Neil Diamond was in denial about Parkinson’s diagnosis for years

nme.com:

Neil Diamond has opened up about living with Parkinson’s disease in a new interview.Diamond was diagnosed with the progressive neurological condition in 2018 and retired from touring the same year.

A statement issued on the singer’s official website at the time said that “the onset of the disease has made it difficult to travel and perform on a large scale basis but will allow Mr Diamond to continue his writing, recording and development of new projects”.In a new interview with CBS, Diamond admitted that he was in denial about the diagnosis for the first year or two.

He went on to say that he only accepted it “in the last few weeks.”“I don’t like it but this is me. This is what I have to accept.

And I’m willing to do it,” said Diamond. “Okay, so this is the hand that God’s given me, and I have to make the best of it, and so I am.”“But somehow, a calm has moved [into] the hurricane of my life, and things have gotten very quiet, as quiet as this recording studio,” he continued. “And I like it.