UPDATE: Helen Reddy sang her "I Am Woman" anthem at the post-Trump inauguration protest in Los Angeles on January 21, 2017. A close family member confirmed to Lead Stories that she is still living in the assisted-care facility. WHile she is being treated for early dementia, she still has her wonderful voice. Here's a video:
Singer Helen Reddy will no longer perform live, but she will continue to record, according to a written statement from her family. The statement, signed by her daughter and son, confirms that Reddy, 73, has moved into moved into a Los Angeles nursing facility, but it denies that she has been diagnosed with dementia.
Reddy rose to fame with her 1972 smash "I Am Woman," which became an anthem for the growing women's movement in the United States.
"Earlier this summer, Helen made the decision to move into the Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hills," the family statement said. "Despite recent reports on the status of her health, we would like to let her fans know that she has not been diagnosed with dementia, nor has she been hospitalized."
The denial of her diagnosis is contrary to what her son, Jordan Sommers, and another source close to Reddy confirmed to Lead Stories last month.
Sommers said the progressive illness is in its early stages, marked by Reddy "asking same question every few minutes,"although another source suggested the symptoms were more advanced. She would forget where she put something and then suspect someone stole it, the second source said.
Reddy became a resident of the Motion Picture and Television Fund's facility in Woodland Hills, California, in June, both sources confirmed.
"While she has retired from performing live, there are many exciting projects in the works and plans to continue to share her unique voice for years to come," the statement said. "We want to thank all of her fans for their outpouring of love and support."
Reddy had been attempting a comeback this year, but her failing health forced her to cancel a concert planned for June 11 in San Diego. Her management kept the real reason secret, announcing that the show was "cancelled due to a scheduling conflict."
She did perform at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas for several nights in January. She earned great reviews for the Vegas shows.
"I am really in a very, very happy place," Reddy told a radio interviewer in January.
Reddy, who co-wrote "I Am Woman," earned a best female pop vocal performance Grammy for the record. She followed up with a dozen Top 40 hits over the next five years, including "Leave Me Along," "Angie Baby," and "You and Me Against the World."
A native of Australia, Reddy was helpful in launching the singing career of Olivia Newton-John.
She put her career on hold for more than a decade to return to Australia in 2002 to help care for ailing family members. She decided to return to the United States and the concert stage in 2012 after realizing she still had her voice when she sang for her sister's 80th birthday.
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