Carly Simon's Sisters Died One Day Apart Last Week

Carly Simon's sisters Joanna Simon and Lucy Simon both died last week. Joanna, a mezzo-soprano who later turned to journalism, was 85. Lucy Simon, the Tony-nominated Broadway composer of The Secret Garden, was 82.

Joanna died after a battle with thyroid cancer, Simons' manager Larry Ciancia confirmed to USA Today. Lucy died after a battle with breast cancer, Ciancia added. Their brother, photographer Peter Simon, died at 71 from cancer in 2018. The siblings' parents are the late Richard L. Simon of Simon & Schuster and his wife, the late Andrea Simon.

"Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad as this day is, it's impossible to mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives," Simon said in a statement Saturday. "We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking courses for one another, we were (each other's) secret shares. The co-keepers of each other's memories."

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

Simon's older sisters excelled in their fields. Joanna rose to fame as an opera singer during the 1960s, performing in New York City Opera productions. She mostly retired from singing professionally in 1986, when she turned to journalism. She won an Emmy for her work on PBS' MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour. Joanna was married to novelist Gerald Walker from 1986 until his death in 2004. She was also Walter Cronkite's companion after his wife Betsy died, from 2005 until Cronkite's death in 2009.

Lucy and Simon were part of the duo The Simon Sisters during the 1960s and had a hit with "Winkin', Blinkin', and Nod." After Simon began her enormously successful solo career as a pop singer-songwriter in 1971, Lucy also recorded a pair of solo albums. However, she found greater success on Broadway. In 1991, she earned a Tony nomination for composing The Secret Garden. She also composed the music for the 2015 Doctor Zhivago musical. Lucy and her husband, David Levine, won Grammys for Best Recording for Children for In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (1981) and In Harmony 2 (1982). Lucy is survived by her husband and their two children, Julie and James. 

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