LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — After Neil Diamond abruptly announced that he was retiring from touring earlier this week after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and canceled a string of upcoming shows in Australia and New Zealand, many of his fans there responded by donating their concert ticket refunds to charities that support Parkinson’s research and other charities.
Diamond and his wife acknowledged the virtue of his fans via Twitter, writing:
This makes me smile. Thank you. Thank you to everyone for your outpouring of love and support. It makes a difference. https://t.co/TLZAa69q1B
— Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) January 23, 2018
Diamond’s wife Katie elaborated, noting all of the messages of support she has received from Diamond’s fans.
Wow, I’ve received a bunch of messages from people in Aus & NZ who are donating their ticket refunds to good causes: Parkinson’s research, animal rescue groups, fire victim funds, etc. My heart is so full of joy to see this silver lining. Faith in humanity = restored. Thank you!
— Katie Diamond (@KatieMcDiamond) January 23, 2018
The 77-year-old “Sweet Caroline” singer was in the midst of his 50th Anniversary tour and due to embark on the New Zealand and Oz tour segment in March, but pulled out of the shows, stating that the onset of Parkinson’s had made it difficult to “travel and perform on a large-scale basis”.
