Legendary singer Linda Ronstadat's career has ended because of Parkinson's disease according to AARP.com.
"I couldn't sing," Ronstadt told the AARP. "And I couldn't figure out why. I knew it was mechanical. I knew it had to do with the muscles, but I thought it might have also had something to do with the tick disease that I had.
"And it didn't occur to me to go to a neurologist. I think I've had it for seven or eight years already, because of the symptoms that I've had. Then I had a shoulder operation, so I thought that's why my hands were trembling," she said. "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 wouldn't have suspected that in a million, billion years. No one can sing with Parkinson's disease. No matter how hard you try."
Ronstadt was diagnosed with the disease eight months ago, but symptoms began about eight years ago the AARP reported. The singer always said the cause for her inability to sing was because of a tick bite AARP.com reported.
"My health has never recovered since then," she said.
According to the AARP, Ronstadt utilizes poles to get around when she not walking on flat ground, and uses a wheelchair when travelling. Ronstadt's memoir entitled "Simple Dreams", which is set to appear Sept. 17 makes no mention of her obstacle with the disease AARP reported.
Ronstadt was a lead singer of the Stone Poneys, before becoming famous as a solo performer and shaping the late 1960s and early 1970s folk rock music scene the AARP reported.
The singer has 11 Grammy awards, two academy of country music awards, and one Emmy the AARP reported. Ronstadt's albums have also achieved gold, platinum, and multi-platinum status.
