Off The Record
89-Year-Old Music Legend Breaks Silence On His Health After Stepping Out Of The Spotlight
Famous vocalist Johnny Mathis likely won’t be performing past May, following last week’s devastating announcement that his seven decades of traveling will end due to his deteriorating health.
The velvet-voiced vocalist was seen on camera by DailyMail.com in Los Angeles just a few days after he made his stunning retirement announcement. Even though his remarkable career, which included six platinum albums, was coming to an end, he was beaming.
As he made his way to a meeting this past Friday, the musician, who turns 90 in September, stated, “I hope to be younger, not older.”
Mathis, who is well-known for making his devoted fans cry with his love songs, declared on Wednesday that he would be retiring because of his deteriorating “age and memory issues.”
Even though he has chosen to avoid the spotlight due to growing health concerns, his signature fashion-forward style is still as sharp as ever.
During his recent outing, Mathis looked stylish in a blue baseball cap, green khaki pants, a long-sleeved blue polo shirt with a white collar, and black Puma sneakers.
Exercise is the key to keeping young, the jazz singer revealed when discussing the secrets of his youthful appearance.
On the topic of his newly-announced retirement, Mathis was surprisingly jovial, saying: “Oh, you never really retire,” he said as a fan in the parking lot shouted ‘my hero’ at him.
“You just stop singing,” he said with a grin on his face – as his team clarified on Wednesday that he had new music in the works even though he wouldn’t perform after his May 18th sold out concert in Englewood, New Jersey.
“While there are still some exciting concerts coming up, regrettably all Johnny Mathis concerts from June 2025 onwards are now cancelled,” his team write on Facebook.
“Please read the notice below, and contact individual venues directly with all ticket questions. Refunds will be made through the original point of purchase. Thank you, Mathis Fans.”
Fans who wished Mathis well in the comments section showered him with love and support instead of being outraged over refunded tickets from his cancelled gigs.
Responding to the support, they added: “Wow. Thank you so very much on Johnny’s behalf for your kind messages! To answer a couple repeat questions…”
“Its a lovely idea, but unfortunately filming or streaming the final concerts is not going to be possible. We’re sorry for any disappointment.”
“Johnny is just retiring from touring and concerts, so the good news is there is potentially new music in the works. Check back for news on this.”
“The final concerts are just in the U.S., and these dates can be found on the official Johnny Mathis website below. Thank you on Johnny’s behalf for all your support of his music.”
During his long career, which began in the 1950s, Mathis sold 360 million records worldwide and was well-known for his romantic songs.
Not all of his records, though, have held up well over time. In December 2022, radio stations began to ban his 1976 Christmas song, “When A Child Is Born.” Stations like Heart FM and Magic Radio decided to remove the word “yellow” from the song since it was considered racist in the phrase “black, white, yellow, no one knows.”
Mathis was the fourth of seven children born in 1935 in Gilmer, Texas. His father, Clem, was a singer and pianist in the vaudeville industry, and both of his parents, who were home chefs, instilled in him a love of music.
In the late 1940s, he saw Mathis’ potential early on and supported his musical endeavors by purchasing a piano for him and connecting him with vocal instructor Connie Cox in return for labor around her home.
Mathis would have a prosperous career as a romantic singer after six years of training with Cox, but she also experimented with pop, Latin American, soul, R&B, Tin Pan Alley, soft rock, country, blues, show songs, and even disco in the 1970s.
While playing with his friend’s jazz sextet at San Francisco’s Black Hawk Club, Mathis was noticed. One of the heads at Columbia Records who signed him was flagged by the club’s owner.
Of the 73 studio albums Mathis has recorded since the 1950s, 10 have sold 500,000 copies, earning him Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.
When his albums reached one million copies, six of them became gold and six went platinum.
When five of Mathis’ albums simultaneously appeared on the Billboard charts, he joined the elite group that only Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, and Prince had attained.
The Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented Mathis with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his illustrious career.
Chances Are (1998), Misty (2002), and It’s Not For Me To Say (2008) were among the three recordings for which the singer was elected into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“Homosexuality is a way of life that I’ve grown accustomed to,” Mathis said in an interview with US Magazine in 1982, after which he received death threats.
He wouldn’t come out as publicly gay until 2017 and talk about the criticism he received on CBS News Sunday Morning.
Now Trending:
- The Singer Is Cited By Users As “The Only Reason” They Are Watching The Super Bowl
- Country Singer Jelly Roll Shed 100 Pounds: Wait Till You See How He Looks Now
- Mom Gives 4yo A Bag Of Burger King Food, Then Hears Her Say, “Mom, I Don’t Want Ketchup”
Please SHARE this story with Family and Friends and let us know what you think in comments!
