Neil Diamond Performs ‘Sweet Caroline’ After Retiring Due to Parkinson’s Disease

At 84, Neil Diamond still knows how to draw a crowd.

The music legend recently took the stage in Denver at the 39th annual Carousel Ball to perform his 1969 classic ‘Sweet Caroline’ with singer-guitarist Nick Fradiani, a portion of which is in the above video. Diamond retired from touring in 2018 because he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that affects movement.

Before the performance, the Grammy Award winner received an Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.

“I’ve been through it all now, and I’m still coming back for more,” Diamond said, while accepting the award. “I remember being a 15-year-old in Brooklyn and dreaming of a day like this.” 

Nick Fradiani and Neil Diamond, Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, perform onstage during the 39th Annual Carousel Ball in Denver, Colorado.

Tom Cooper/Getty Images for 39th Annual Carousel Ball

When Diamond was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018, he told fans that he would still “remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.”

“This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good,’ thanks to you,” he said then, referencing lyrics in “Sweet Caroline.” 

Parkinson’s is a brain disease in which nerve cells, or neurons, die or become impaired. The damage worsens over time.

Actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991, recently talked to People about how he’s managed the disease while continuing to work.

“I wake up and get the message of what the day is gonna be like, and I try to adjust to it,” the 64-year-old star of Back to the Future said. “I keep getting new challenges physically, and I get through it.”

Fox will return to television with a guest role in the upcoming third season of the Apple TV dramedy Shrinking, which stars Harrison Ford, 83, as a therapist with Parkinson’s. The show was loosely inspired by Fox, who will play a character with the same disease.

“It was the first time ever I get to show up on set and I didn’t have to worry about ‘Am I too tired?’ or coughing or anything,” he said. “I just do it.”

AARP offers more information about Parkinson’s, including 12 self-care tips and eight early warning signs to watch out for.