Singer Linda Ronstadt, 67, believes she may have had Parkinson's as early as 51 years of age.
The singer famous for such songs as You're No Good, Blue Bayou, and her duet with Aaron Neville, Don't Know Much, was recently diagnosed with the disease and can no longer sing because of its effects.
However, it was a test on her famous voice which revealed she had Parkinson's.“They have a new way of diagnosing Parkinson’s; it’s with an algorithm and they record your voice and compare it to an algorithm,“ she revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“That’s a way they can get an early diagnosis, but it’s not in general use yet. I know somebody that has access to the research, so since my voice has been recorded over the years I might be able to pinpoint when it actually developed, and I think it’s been going on for a long time. “
She initially put her aches and pains down to old age. “You know, my hands were shaking and I thought, Oh, I’m old.” She deferred going to a neurologist. “I just went to my regular doctor, my chiropractor and said, just, my back hurts.“
Ronstadt, who released her last album Adieu False Heart in 2006, wishes she was still able to sing. “Ninety-eight percent of the singing I did was private singing—it was in the shower, at the dishwater, driving my car, singing with the radio, whatever. I can’t do any of that now. I wish I could. I don’t miss performing particularly, but I miss singing.”
