Neil Diamond Got Candid About Living With Parkinson's Disease: "This Is Me; This Is What I Have to Accept"

It'd difficult to imagine the totality of adult contemporary music without the works of Neil Diamond. Over the last six decades, the illustrious singer-songwriter has embedded himself into the cultural zeitgeist with hit tracks such as "Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Song Sung Blue," and "Longfellow Serenade." Thanks to his successes, Neil was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Fans are as familiar as can be with Neil's legendary discography at this stage in the game, but what about facts surrounding the singer himself? What do we know about Neil's current health status? Here's what we know.

After decades of entertaining fans worldwide, Neil has gotten very candid as of late regarding the status of his health. During a recent appearance on CBS Sunday Morning, the singer detailed what his life has been like ever since he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2018.

When asked about how he has been coming to terms with the diagnosis, the artist shared, "I'm still doing it."

"And I don't like it. But ... this is me; this is what I have to accept," he further noted. "And I'm willing to do it. And, OK, so this is the hand that God's given me, and I have to make the best of it, and so I am. I am."

Neil may have been diagnosed back in 2018, but he revealed that it has "just been in the last few weeks" that he has begun accepting the situation for what it is.

The award-winning singer went on to say that "a calm has moved in, and the hurricane of my life, and things have gotten very quiet, as quiet as this recording studio. And, I like it. I find that I like myself better. I'm easier on people. I'm easier on myself. And the beat goes on, and it will go on long after I'm gone."

When Neil learned that he had Parkinson's, he swiftly decided to retire from touring. He has appeared live on a few occasions since, such as singing "Sweet Caroline" to close out the opening night of the Broadway play A Beautiful Noise, which is based on his life.

On watching his life play out in the theater, the star said, "It was all pretty hard. I was a little embarrassed. I was flattered and I was scared."

As for what he was scared of: "Being found out is the scariest thing you can hope, because we all have a façade. ... I'm not some big star. I'm just me."

Neil also said that he has "come to accept what limitations I have and still have great days.”

“I can still sing,” he also said. “I’ve been doing it for 50 years and I enjoy it. It’s like all the systems of my mind and my body are working as one."