Gladys Knight has released a statement to address the concerns that fans are expressing after she appeared to be confused on stage at recent shows.
The 82-year-old entertainer, known for songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” has been on tour this year doing both solo shows and co-headlining gigs with Smokey Robinson.
TMZ reports that fans have been concerned about Gladys as it appears she has looked confused on stage, sometimes just staring to the side during a song and letting the backup singers perform instead.
Billboard reviewed her Hollywood Bowl show from this summer and noted, “She is truly a one-of-a-kind singer, capable of both thrilling firepower and conversational ease, often in the same song. But she barely got through this show, and only by leaning heavily on her backup singers. Artists need to know when it’s time to bow out gracefully.”
Gladys‘ husband William McDowell is also her manager and he told TMZ that she wants to continue performing. While people working on the tour believe she’s “showing symptoms of dementia,” he says she has not yet been evaluated by a doctor, but they will be visiting a doctor soon.
McDowell says that if his wife has a “rough night” at her next show, happening on September 5, he will cancel her upcoming performances.
Gladys Knight’s statement amid recent concerns
Gladys has released a statement to address the concerns and she says she’s planning on stepping back from performing in the near future as part of the “next stage” of her career.
“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. I’ll be spending more time on projects with my husband and visiting with my grandbabies and am looking forward to this new era.”
“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.”
Last year, Gladys‘ son claimed that she was being “emotionally and financially” abused and forced to perform by her husband.
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