Neil Diamond has finally gone public with his Parkinson's disease — eleven years after sharp-eyed fans caught the struggling singer trying to cover up his illness!
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The beloved star was forced to address his horrific health issues while canceling a series of concerts in Australia and New Zealand. Having just turned 77 years old on Jan. 17, Neil announced — "with great reluctance and disappointment" — that he was retiring from live shows. He cited "a recent diagnosis" of Parkinson's, but The National ENQUIRER had the scoop on his health crisis in 2006!
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Neil first began to show symptoms of Parkinson's at the end of that year — appearing shaky and disoriented during a Dec. 8 performance on the cable shopping channel QVC. About 100 fans attended the concert at QVC's studio in West Chester, Pa., with millions more watching the broadcast. Many of those devoted fans immediately noticed something was wrong with the pop legend.
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One fan posted a message that the singer appeared ill, saying: "I noticed his voice immediately. It quivered, and so did his hands a bit. He had a blank but wide-eyed look...All I can say is that I 'felt' he was sick. The first thing that came came to mind was Parkinson's."
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Another viewer wrote: "There was 'deadness' there...almost like he was robotic. He never changed the position of his hands, keeping them folded in front of him. No spontaneous gestures, and I barely saw even the hint of a smile from him."
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Symptoms of Parkinson's include tremors and difficulty in moving easily — leading to issues with the memory. "It looked to me like he was on some sort of medication to calm him and neutralize whatever anxiety he might have had," said one fan, "but the effect was way too lethargic and apathetic. I've never seen his eyes look so big and round, almost surreal. He didn't even look natural to me."
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Still, Neil was able to keep fans from speculating too much for the next decade — keeping up a string of concert tours and recording six more albums before having to finally announce the end of his touring days. He reassured fans: "I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come."
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