Marcia Ball Retires After ALS Diagnosis

(KMDL-FM) - Legendary blues singer and pianist Marcia Ball announced on Tuesday, October 28, that she will be retiring from touring and performing due to her recent diagnosis with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

Continuing Her Love for Live Music

Ball will now focus on treatment and medical care. Ever the music fan, Ball says she’ll be "out listening to music every chance I get.”

Marcia Ball is 76 years old.

Marcia Ball Announces Her ALS Diagnosis

Here is Ball's full statement regarding her situation:

As many of you may know or have heard, over recent months, I have been struggling with voice issues and have not been able to perform as I have always done. This has been frustrating for me since performing with my band and my musical friends has been my life.

So, I must now share this with my fans and friends: I had a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN recently, and I have finally received some answers, though not the ones I had hoped for. I have ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), and I need to share that with my family, friends, fans, and many music collaborators and associates.

The support I have received from Kurland, my booking agency, my record label, Alligator Records, all the hundreds of venues I have played at over the decades, along with the thousands of fans I have met and become friends with over so many years, has been a real joy.

It is impossible to predict how this ALS diagnosis will impact my life fully. At this early stage, however, I know that performing is something I can no longer do. I can’t sing.

Sadly, I have canceled all the shows I had confirmed for the foreseeable future. The absolute last thing I want to do is to cancel shows. My sincere apologies.

I will be entering a treatment program at UT San Antonio, and I am hopeful that the progression of symptoms is slow to appear. ALS has no known cure at this time, but there are a few drugs that may be prescribed.

My family, circle of friends, and band mates are providing me support as this news sinks in. Adjustments will be necessary but one thing that won’t change is my love and support for the music community, and you can be sure I will be out listening to music every chance I get.

Thank you for your understanding and allowing me the time and space I need to make these unexpected life adjustments.

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A Lifetime of Music Across Texas and Louisiana

Marcia Ball was born in Orange, Texas, but grew up in Vinton, Louisiana, in a musical family. At an early age, she showed an interest in New Orleans-style piano playing.

From LSU to Grammy Nominations

She studied English at LSU in the 1960s while playing in a band called Gum. In 1970, at age 21, she started a progressive country band called Freda and the Firedogs in Austin, Texas, and began her solo career in 1974.

She began recording for Rounder Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 2001, she joined the Chicago-based Alligator Records.

In January 1998, she was nominated for a Grammy Award and Blues Music Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album." She would go on to win several other major awards over the years, mainly in the Blues category.

Ball was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2018.