Known for her rich soprano vocals as the lead singer of the 1960s band the Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt opened up about her Parkinson’s disease diagnosis to AARP The Magazine in 2013. After two very bad tick bites in the 1980s, Ronstadt says her health never fully recovered — but she didn’t visit a neurologist until she was no longer able to sing.
“I didn’t know why I couldn’t sing — all I knew was that it was muscular or mechanical. Then when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I was finally given the reason. I now understand that no one can sing with Parkinson’s disease. No matter how hard you try. And in my case, I can’t sing a note,” she told AARP.
As it turns out, her original diagnosis of Parkinson’s may not have told the full story. Speaking to Anderson Cooper in December 2019, Ronstadt clarified that a more recent diagnosis had revealed she has a subtype of progressive supranuclear palsy (or PSP) known as PSP-parkinsonism (PSP-P). PSP is a neurodegenerative brain condition that shares many symptoms with Parkinson’s disease. And while PSP does not usually cause the tremors that are characteristic of Parkinson’s disease, PSP-P does, which may help explain the original misdiagnosis.
The documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice explores the impact of Ronstadt’s musical career and her enduring legacy, even after her condition left her unable to perform. Speaking to People in 2019, she noted, “In my mind — in my imagination — I can still sing.”
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