Iconic R&B singer Gladys Knight is making a major change in her career at the age of 82. The singer announced that she is slowing down after over 50 years in the business.
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“After much soul searching I’ve decided that I will be easing into fewer performances while focusing on transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward,” she said in an Instagram post. “I’ll be spending more time on projects with my husband and visiting with my grandbabies and am looking forward to this new era.”
The shift comes after months of speculation from fans and outsiders that something is amiss with the “I’ve Heard it Through the Grapevine” singer.
During her performance at the Hollywood Bowl on July 25, she began to walk off the stage while performing her biggest hit “Midnight Train to Georgia,” handing off the lead parts to her backup singers, Billboard reported.
TMZ spoke with her husband William McDowell, who also serves as her manager, about her condition.
“No one is ever gonna make me say, ‘My wife is well,’ but all she wants to do is sing,” McDowell said. He said that she has not been diagnosed with dementia, but she would be seeing a doctor in the future for an evaluation.
McDowell told the outlet that her show on September 5 will be a key component of the future. If she has any trouble during the performance, he will cancel the rest of her concert dates. He also said he plans to build a facility close to their home in North Carolina so she can still perform.
In her message, she said, “I’d like to take a moment, in advance, to thank all my fans over this last three quarters of a century for making a little girl’s dream come true and supporting her every step of the way. I am immensely grateful to all of you and send my eternal love back to you. I hope to see your smiling faces out and about and on the road. God bless all of you and hope to see you soon.”