MILLIONS of his fans across the globe will be devastated to learn that singer and songwriter extraordinaire Neil Diamond has confirmed that he has Parkinson’s disease and as a result he will no longer be touring.

One of the music business’s great performers, Diamond’s tours are hugely anticipated by his massive fan base and he has sold out concert halls and stadia around the world for decades.

He has sold some 140 million albums, had 37 top 40 singles and 16 top 10 albums, and is a Grammy-award winning member of the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.

Today he celebrates his 77th birthday, but was looking forward to completing his 50th anniversary tour. He was about to start the third leg of the tour when the devastating news was given to him. He had no choice but to cancel his March tour dates for Australia and New Zealand on medical advice.

He took the decision “with great reluctance and disappointment”, he said in a statement.

“I have been so honoured to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years,” he said.

“My sincerest apologies to everyone who purchased tickets and were planning to come to the upcoming shows.

“My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement.”

Referencing his great hit Sweet Caroline, he added: “This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”

WHAT IS THE PROGNOSIS FOR DIAMOND?

IT appears the disease is not too far advanced as yet. Parkinson’s disease is a long-term degenerative disorder which affects the motor systems. It is characterised by shaking, rigidity and difficulty with walking but there are numerous other symptoms and it is not known what led to the diagnosis for Diamond.

The singer has indicated that he will continue to write songs: “I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.”

He will very soon receive the first of what is sure to be many tributes by his peers in the music industry as The Recording Academy will honour him with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday, an award that had already been announced but which will now take on somewhat greater significance.

REMIND US OF HIS CAREER?

WHERE to start? Born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, Neil Leslie Diamond was in the same choir as Barbra Streisand as a teenager. Much, much later they would duet on the No 1 hit he wrote, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers. He was given a guitar for his 16th birthday and soon came under the influence of the great American folk singer-songwriter Pete Seeger. Encouraged to write his own songs, Diamond turned his back on a sports career – he was a champion schoolboy fencer and won a fencing scholarship to New York University – to become a professional songwriter in New York’s Tin Pan Alley.

His first attempts to become a singer failed and he spent more than seven years as a songwriter, mostly unsuccessful and often broke. But in the mid-1960s, Diamond found his voice with hits like Solitary Man and Cherry, Cherry and his career took off both as a performer and a writer for other artists – he penned some of The Monkees’ greatest hits, including I’m A Believer which is a karaoke standard to this day.

By 1971, he was on his way to legendary status with hits such as Sweet Caroline, Holly Holy, Cracklin Rosie, Song Sung Blue and I Am, I Said.

In August, 1972, he played a season at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and it became the platinum-selling double album Hot August Night, showcasing his skills as a live performer.

In 1979, he survived a tumour on the spine – he wrote final letters to his family and friends as he was sure he was going to die – to continue performing, though he has suffered back pain ever since.

In 1980 he starred in the film The Jazz Singer, a remake of the Al Jolson classic, alongside Laurence Olivier. His song America featured in the movie and is often called the other national anthem of the USA.

From the 1980s onwards Diamond toured extensively though he no longer enjoyed great chart success. His fans came to love his regular concert tours around the planet, and the 50th anniversary tour was a huge success in the USA and Europe, Diamond playing the Glasgow Hydro last October in what now appears to have been his last concert in Scotland.

HE LOVES SCOTLAND AND HIS SCOTTISH FANS, DOESN’T HE?

HE first played a major venue here in 1999 when he sold out the SECC for three nights. Blown away by the audience reaction – and singalong participation – he has been coming back ever since, and he rated the 2011 gig at Hampden as one of his best. He paid the Hampden crowd the ultimate compliment that night when he broke his own record and played Sweet Caroline no less than five times as the fans screamed for more.