Linda Ronstadt

[msc 18,437]

50 minutes ago, Sir Creep said:

Until this thread was bumped I had no idea and can’t fathom why she’s on Deathlist fgs.  Who authorised this?

 

Let me educate you, Creepy.

 

Remember the incurable fatal disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy? That you got a DDP hit with for singer Peter Sarstedt in 2017? When I thought you had gone a year early but you got the points and I didn't?

 

Well, Linda Ronstadt has had the same illness for nearly a decade now. 

 

She's on borrowed time.

[maryportfuncity 10,644]

Co-incidetally, was busy in the kitchen for just over 20 mins this morning and got in all of side one of Hasten Down the Wind. Fuck knows, pre-disease she had a set of pipes on her

[Sean 6,314]

11 hours ago, Sir Creep said:

Until this thread was bumped I had no idea and can’t fathom why she’s on Deathlist fgs.  Who authorised this?

Being an A list star with an incredibly deadly condition is why she is included.She has outlived her life expectancy too hence why she is on DL22 also.

[Vinegar Tits 606]

I wonder what the new book will say that the first one didn't? She wasn't particularly candid about her private life (she never has been, and she's not like Carly Simon who can write about eroticism in a classy manner without it being tawdry) but said just enough - it was mainly about her childhood and musical inspirations, which this new book also seems to be.

[Vinegar Tits 606]

On 09/04/2022 at 15:44, maryportfuncity said:

Co-incidetally, was busy in the kitchen for just over 20 mins this morning and got in all of side one of Hasten Down the Wind. Fuck knows, pre-disease she had a set of pipes on her

 

From a purely technical point of view she's probably the greatest pop singer there's been. An *incredible* voice and she can - and has in her varied career - sing anything, and her pitch and in particular her breathing is always spot on. 

 

But yeah, "songwriter" really shouldn't be on her Deathlist description. She's written, what? two songs that were on Hasten Down The Wind and that's about it. She was always an interpreter of songs, not a writer.

[maryportfuncity 10,644]

14 hours ago, Vinegar Tits said:

 

From a purely technical point of view she's probably the greatest pop singer there's been. An *incredible* voice and she can - and has in her varied career - sing anything, and her pitch and in particular her breathing is always spot on. 

 

But yeah, "songwriter" really shouldn't be on her Deathlist description. She's written, what? two songs that were on Hasten Down The Wind and that's about it. She was always an interpreter of songs, not a writer.

 

 

Agree re the songwriter comment, think the greatest singer notion is debatable - Elvis for all the tonnage of shit in his least inspired recordings, has a claim on that title IMHO

[Vinegar Tits 606]

On 22/04/2022 at 07:48, maryportfuncity said:

 

 

Agree re the songwriter comment, think the greatest singer notion is debatable - Elvis for all the tonnage of shit in his least inspired recordings, has a claim on that title IMHO

 

I was thinking purely on a technical level, in terms of pitch, breathing, etc as well as having an amazing voice.

[MrWonderful 480]

On 25/04/2022 at 10:39, Vinegar Tits said:

 

I was thinking purely on a technical level, in terms of pitch, breathing, etc as well as having an amazing voice.

There is no question that she is one of the greatest vocalists who have ever lived.  

[LizLemon 65]

PBS released a new interview with her for the release of her new memoir. Touches very lightly on the PSP diagnosis.

 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/singer-linda-ronstadt-reflects-on-her-roots-in-new-book#transcript

[Ulitzer95 12,577]

A drop for next year?

[Evil Grimace 359]

TL;DR - if she has a fall or shows significant cognitive decline - yes for 2023

 

 

Spoiler

 

This is not easy to decide.  A review of the timeline helps:

 

2013 - diagnosed with Parkinson's

2014 - too ill and misses induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2019 - February - unable to sing at all

2019 - December - Parkinson's diagnosis revised to PSP

2022 - Sept/Oct - PBS interview where is states she "misses singing", "is the same person, diminished", "talking is really hard; pulling thoughts together... gets jumbled", "has lots of help and good friends"

 

The post @Banana made from Wikipedia gives the 'survival from onset averages seven years with wide variance' now links (previously did not) to an RTE article that is paywalled.  So can't confirm or research that number.  

 

As a common cause of death is pneumonia also listed, the link gives a medical journal article that has two key factors that are likely indicators of death by aspirational pneumonia - falls and cognitive decline.  The article mentions it started tracking patients two years after diagnosis for an observation period of 5.1 +/- 3.8 years (mean +/- standard deviation).  Could this be the source of the 'seven years with wide variance' - two years previous plus 5 mean years?

Of the 90 patients, 22 had aspirational pneumonia.  Of those 22, 13 died.  Of the remaining 68, only 3 died.  

 

Points of interest

Is she on borrowed time?  Likely Yes - on the 9 year mark, but if the 'seven years with wide variance' is based on the above study, she's certainly on the outer range.

What treatment did she get for her Parkinson's?  If it was L-dopa, then that could have been beneficial.  The above study does show it as a positive treatment for some, not all patients. 

She has lots of help - this would prevent both risk factors in help to prevent falls during daily routine tasks and engagement to keep her mind sharp.  It can't hurt that she lives in San Francisco, with mild weather during the winters.

 

 

[msc 18,437]

 

Watch that video above and the one here which is from the same day,  imo, yes, she is ill, but she looks great for someone 9 years into PSP. Can still hold her own spoon to eat and speak. Famous last words here but might be a safe 2023 drop and come back in December 2023 and see how she is then.

[Lafaucheuse 4,045]

Wouldn’t be too mad about her return in 2024. PSP patient life expectancy is around 7 years which She already surpassed (now 10 years since diagnosed but probably a few years more with the illness) and reaching 15 years after the diagnosis is really rare. 
plus, the usual cause of death for PSP sufferers are fall and chocking. Even if She looked great in her last appearances, those things are unpredictible