In 2009, Linda Ronstadt performed her final concert, although she didn’t disclose she was stepping away from performing at the time. It wasn’t until 2011 that Ronstadt announced her retirement, sharing she had Parkinson’s disease. Later, it was revealed that she had progressive supranuclear palsy, similar to Parkinson’s disease.
Ronstadt’s final performance took place on November 9, 2009, at Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas. Long before making the public aware of her illness, Ronstadt realized something was wrong when she could no longer complete her vocal exercises.
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“I was struggling with pitch,” she tells AXS TV. “I didn’t have any color that I could bring into my voice. I got to the point where I was basically really shouting and barking.”
A doctor eliminated anything wrong with her actual voice, which is what led to the initial diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
“Finally, I stopped singing, because I thought it really wasn’t fair to charge people money to see me bark, so that was the end of that,” she says.
What Linda Ronstadt Says About Being Unable to Sing
For decades, Ronstadt proved her ability to captivate a crowd, big and small. So it’s surprising that the thing she misses most isn’t being in front of an audience but being able to sing with her friends.
“What I miss is the singing with my family, my friends,” Ronstadt tells San Francisco Senior Beat. “Emmylou Harris would come over, and we’d say ‘Hi, where’d you get your shoes?’ and then, ‘Let’s sing,’ and there we’d be for the next six hours. We’d sing together over the phone. I used to do that with my dad, too. I miss the musical camaraderie that was my whole life.”
Known for hits like “Blue Bayou“, “You’re No Good”, and more, Ronstadt acknowledges the limitations on her life because of the degenerative illness.
“I can’t play the guitar or piano, and I can’t sing at all,” Ronstadt tells Closer. “I miss it, and I miss knitting. I can’t do that either. I’m just lucky I can still read.”
The 79-year-old may not be able to perform, but she still enjoys music of all kinds.
“I have a lot of support and a lot of family and friends, so I am content,” Ronstadt says. “YouTube has endless operatic performances, and I love opera. I also love ballet.”
Although she could no longer perform, Ronstadt did continue speaking at events for several years. In 2018, she retired from that as well.
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