Joanna Simon, Acclaimed Singer, TV Correspondent, Dies at 85

Joanna Simon, a well-known mezzo-soprano and one of the three singing Simon sisters, which also included pop star Carly, has passed away at the age of 85. She was also an Emmy-winning TV correspondent.

According to Lucy's daughter Julie Simon, the oldest of the four siblings, Simon passed away on Wednesday, just one day before Lucy. They lost their photographer brother Peter in 2018 at the age of 71. They all have the disease.

"I spent the last two days standing at my mother's side and my aunt Joanna's side as I witnessed their transition into the afterlife. I don't really get this, "In a post on Facebook, Julie..

In the 1960s, Joanna Simon, who passed away from thyroid cancer, became well-known in the opera and concert worlds. She frequently appeared as a guest on TV discussion shows. She gave up singing and started working as an arts correspondent for PBS's "MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour," where she was honoured with an Emmy in 1991 for a story on creativity and mental illness.

"To talk of Joanna and Lucy Simon's passing brings me to tears. Their loss will linger for a very long time. Despite how terrible this day is, it is hard to grieve them without also honouring the extraordinary lives they led "In a statement on Saturday, Carly Simon stated.

Added her: "We were three sisters who alternated between setting course markers and blazing paths for one another. We shared one another's secrets. the joint custodians of one another's memories."

Gerald Walker, an author and journalist, was married to Joanna Simon from 1976 until his passing in 2004. She was Walter Cronkite's companion from 2005 till his passing in 2009.

On stage, she made her professional debut in 1962 as Cherubino in Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" at New York City Opera. That year, she won the Marian Anderson Award for promising young singers. Simon took on a range of material. As a concert performer, she leaned into classic and contemporary songs of her time.

The siblings were born to publishing giant Richard Simon and his wife, Andrea. Carly and Lucy once performed as the Simon Sisters, opening for other acts in Greenwich Village folk clubs.

"I have no words to explain the feeling of suddenly being the only remaining direct offspring of Richard and Andrea Simon," Carly Simon said. "They touched everyone they knew and those of us they've left behind will be lucky and honored to carry their memories forward."