Late last week, songbird Linda Ronstadt exclusively revealed to AARP.org that she has Parkinson’s disease.

“I had two very bad tick bites in the ’80s, and my health has never recovered since then,” she said. "I have Parkinson’s disease, which may be a result of that tick bite. They’re saying now they think there’s a relationship between tick bites and Parkinson’s disease — that a virus can switch on a gene, or cause neurodegeneration.

“I think I’ve had it for seven or eight years already, because I’ve had the symptoms that long. Then I had a shoulder operation, so I thought that must be why my hands were shaking. Parkinson’s is very hard to diagnose. So when I finally went to a neurologist and he said, “Oh, you have Parkinson’s disease,” I was completely shocked. I was totally surprised. I wouldn’t have suspected that in a million, billion years.

“There’s nothing you can do about it except inform yourself. And I’m learning from other Parkinson’s patients that there are different treatments besides the drugs they give you.

“You always learn more from failure than success. I really believe that. I think adversity is a great teacher.”

Linda’s autobiography, Simple Dreams, is out next month. Read the full interview here.

comments powered by Disqus

Latest news

Rufus Wainwright To Perform at Cure Addiction Now Inaugural Fundraising Evening

Rufus Wainwright To Perform at Cure Addiction Now Inaugural Fundraising Evening Feb 10, 2025

Cure Addiction Now (CAN), a nonprofit dedicated to funding innovative research for substance use disorder (SUD), will hold its Inaugural Fundraising Evening on February 24, 2025 at The Beverly Hills Hotel and will feature a live performance by Rufus Wainwright with additional entertainment to be announced. More
More news