Carly Simon is mourning the death of her two older sisters, Lucy and
Joanna Simon, who died one day apart after both had been battling cancer.
The eldest of the Simon sisters, Joanna Simon — who was a famed opera
singer and an Emmy-winning TV correspondent — died Wednesday of
thyroid cancer at 85, according to Carly Simon’s manager Larry Ciancia.
Lucy Simon, who composed Broadway musical “The Secret Garden,” died
Thursday at 82 after batting breast cancer, Ciancia also confirmed.
“Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad as this day is, it’s impossible to
mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives,” Carly Simon said in
a statement obtained by USA TODAY Saturday.
“We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking
courses for one another, we were (each other’s) secret shares. The cokeepers of each other’s memories.”
The siblings were born to publishing giant Richard Simon of Simon &
Schuster and his wife, Andrea. Their brother Peter, a photographer, died at
71 of cancer in 2018.
“I have no words to explain the feeling of suddenly being the only
remaining direct offspring of Richard and Andrea Simon,” the “You’re So
Vain” singer’s statement continued. “They touched everyone they knew and
those of us they’ve left behind will be lucky and honored to carry their
memories forward.”
Joanna rose to fame in the opera world and as a concert performer in the
1960s. She was a frequent guest on TV talk shows. After her retirement
from singing, she became an arts correspondent for PBS’s “MacNeil-Lehrer
News Hour,” where she won an Emmy in 1991 for a report on mental
illness and creativity.