Diamond announced in January that he would give up touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring,” the artist said in a statement. “I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.”
Diamond has had 10 No. 1 singles: “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Longfellow Serenade,” “I’ve Been This Way Before,” “If You Know What I Mean,” “Desiree,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “America,” “Yesterday’s Songs” and “Heartlight.”
He starred in the 1980 remake of “The Jazz Singer,” which garnered him three Top 10 singles: “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again” and “America.”
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and was honored at the Kennedy Center in 2011.
He launched his career as a songwriter in the 1960s in the Brill Building songwriting factory, penning hits for groups like The Monkees.
He soon launched a solo career, and his rich baritone coupled with his lively onstage presence earned him the sobriquet “the Jewish Elvis.”
