Credit: Andreas TerlaakIn January of 2018, Neil Diamond shocked and saddened fans when he announced that he had to retire from touring immediately due to being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
As part of the January 22 announcement, which came two days before the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s 77th birthday, Diamond revealed that he was canceling the third leg of his 50th Anniversary tour, which was to have visited Australia and New Zealand in March.
In his statement, Diamond told fans, “I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come. My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”
Neil did make a number of special appearances during 2018. In June, he received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, at a ceremony in New York City. Diamond was presented the honor by his producer Bob Gaudio, who also was a member of The Four Seasons. Neil closed the event by performing “Sweet Caroline.”
In July, Diamond was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Recording Academy’s 2018 Special Merit Awards gala, held in Los Angeles. During the ceremony, Diamond duetted with The Monkees‘ Micky Dolenz on a rendition of the Neil-penned Monkees smash “I’m a Believer,” and then performed “Sweet Caroline” solo.
At the end of July, Diamond gave a surprise performance for firefighters who had battled the wildfires that caused severe damage in the Lake Christine area of Colorado, where Neil has a residence. Not surprisingly, Diamond again sang his classic hit “Sweet Caroline” for the firefighters.
2018 also brought the release of Diamond’s Hot August Night III, a live album documenting a 2012 performance at the Green Theater in L.A. The show marked the 40th anniversary of the shows Neil played at the Greek Theatre in L.A. in 1972, which were recorded for his legendary Hot August Night album that same year..
In an interview with Billboard in June, Diamond said he still was holding out hope that he’d one day be able to tour again, while revealing that he’d been writing songs for a new project.
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