Linda Ronstadt says she's not afraid of dying, but she is afraid of suffering from the effects of Parkinson's disease.
She made the comments in an interview with set to air at 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 3.Â
Ronstadt also said she is hopeful they will find a cure for Parkinson's, which she was diagnosed with in early 2013. She went public with the diagnosis in August of that year and said at the time she had been experiencing symptoms for years before that included not being able to sing.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native Ronstadt, 72, performed her last hometown concert in 2007 at the AVA at Casino del Sol. She has returned twice since for speaking events at Fox ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Theatre.
Ronstadt told "CBS Sunday Morning" host Tracy Smith that she realized something was wrong with her voice as early as 2000. And while she can no longer sing — “I can’t even sing in the shower," she told Smith — she isn't angry.
“When you’ve been able to do certain things all your life, like put your shoes on and brush your teeth or whatever, you – when you can’t do that, you sort of go, ‘What’s this?’†says Ronstadt, who sold more than 100 million records in her nearly five-decade career that landed her in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. “You know, what’s happening here? Come help me with this. And then you have to learn to ask people to help, and that – that took a little doing. But I do that now, because I need the help.â€
In the interview, which covered her career and touched on her recent theater "conversation" events around the country including at Fox ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Theatre in 2014 and last year, Ronstadt expressed confidence that researchers will one day find a cure for Parkinson’s.Â
“I’m sure they’ll find something eventually,†she tells Smith. “They’re learning so much more about it every day. If not, I mean, I’m 72. We’re all going to die. So, they say people usually die with Parkinson’s. They don’t always die of it because it’s so slow-moving. So, I figure I’ll die of something. And I’ve watched people die, so I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of suffering, but I’m not afraid of dying.â€
"CBS Sunday Morning" airs from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Photos: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-native, Grammy-winner Linda Ronstadt
Videos: A look back at Linda Ronstadt's career
Linda Ronstadt began singing as a child. She performed her first hits with the Stone Ponies. She sang in Spanish. She sang with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. She performed opera. She recorded lullabies made from rock and roll songs. Parkinson's disease has ended Ronstadt's singing career, but her impressive body of work has earned the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native a spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Linda Ronstadt's tour programs from 1983 and 1984 at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Esquire Apartments photographed Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Ronstadt has donated her collection of artifacts from her time with Nelson Riddle to the UA School of Music.
Linda Ronstadt, right, and Sam Bush sing together at the Berger Performing Arts Center in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on June 12, 2002. Most of the crowd was there to hear Linda Ronstadt sing, but by the end of the evening, Sam Bush's mandolin playing and harmonizing with Ronstadt converted many into enthusiastic fans.
A likeness of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native singer Linda Ronstadt was created by 86-year-old June Aguayo, who works out of her home. Aguayo is a regular staple at cultural events like ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Meet Yourself and has painted notable ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans such as Raul Grijalva and Lalo Guerrero.
Linda Ronstadt's What's New album on top of the hand-copied orchestra parts for "What's New" by Ronstadt arranged by Nelson Riddle at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Esquire Apartments photographed Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Ronstadt has donated her collection of artifacts from her time with Nelson Riddle to the UA School of Music.
Linda Ronstadt, shown in this 1991 file photo, is singing the praises of teaching young children foreign languages. Ronstadt, whose album "Canciones de Mi Padre" ("Songs of My Father") won a Grammy in 1987, told state education officials in Phoenix Monday, Sept. 30, 1996, that if children aren't exposed to foreign languages early, they may not learn them at all.
Photos: Linda Ronstadt joins the 2014 Rock Hall of Fame class
Nirvana, Kiss and Peter Gabriel will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.
The Rock Hall announced Tuesday that Hall and Oates, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens also will be inducted April 10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Ronstadt received her first nomination not long after she shared news that she has Parkinson's disease. Fans have long questioned her absence from the hall's roster of stars.
Handout photo of Linda Ronstadt in 1999.
Handout photo
Linda Ronstadt, one of the Hall of Fame's first five inductees, brought mariachi music to the masses with two popular LPs. Linda Ronstadt
Handout
Linda Ronstadt circa 1983.
Handout photo
Linda Ronstadt's tour programs from 1983 and 1984 at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Esquire Apartments photographed Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Ronstadt has donated her collection of artifacts from her time with Nelson Riddle to the UA School of Music.
Jill Torrance/ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Linda Ronstadt, right, and Sam Bush sing together at the Berger Performing Arts Center in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on June 12, 2002. Most of the crowd was there to hear Linda Ronstadt sing, but by the end of the evening, Sam Bush's mandolin playing and harmonizing with Ronstadt converted many into enthusiastic fans.
Max Becherer/ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 2002
Linda Ronstadt in 1998.
Handout photo
A likeness of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native singer Linda Ronstadt was created by 86-year-old June Aguayo, who works out of her home. Aguayo is a regular staple at cultural events like ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Meet Yourself and has painted notable ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans such as Raul Grijalva and Lalo Guerrero.
David Sanders/ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Linda Ronstadt at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Symphany Cotillion Ball in 1977.
Lew Elliott / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen
Linda Ronstadt's What's New album on top of the hand-copied orchestra parts for "What's New" by Ronstadt arranged by Nelson Riddle at the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Esquire Apartments photographed Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Ronstadt has donated her collection of artifacts from her time with Nelson Riddle to the UA School of Music.
Jill Torrance/ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥
Linda Ronstadt signs autographs at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Symphany Cotillion Ball in 1977.
Lew Elliott / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen
Linda Ronstadt, shown in this 1991 file photo, is singing the praises of teaching young children foreign languages. Ronstadt, whose album "Canciones de Mi Padre" ("Songs of My Father") won a Grammy in 1987, told state education officials in Phoenix Monday, Sept. 30, 1996, that if children aren't exposed to foreign languages early, they may not learn them at all.
Osamu Honda/ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen
Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle
Courtesy University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ School of Music
Linda Ronstadt and Mariachi Vargas deliver inspiring celebration of old Mexico in sold-out concert.Â
Bruce McClelland/ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 1988
Linda Ronstadt signs autographs at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s Symphany Cotillion Ball in 1977.
Lew Elliott / ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Citizen
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch