Why You Rarely Hear About Art Garfunkel These Days

In the midst of a Simon & Garfunkel reunion tour in 2010, Art Garfunkel was diagnosed with partial paralysis in one of his vocal cords and those tour dates had to be canceled because he could no longer sing and he had to let his voice recover, based on San Diego Tribune reporting. According to Mayo Clinic vocal cord paralysis occurs when nerve signals to the vocal cords, larynx, or voice box are disrupted. Luckily, Garfunkel only expressed partial paralysis, and though he had to take time away from music, his condition improved.

Even after his return to music some four years later, singing remained a struggle, as Express reports. Of the vocal cord paralysis, Garfunkel said (via Express) "When my voice went south, I couldn't sing or talk. I don't know why ... When I do shows now, I thank God in the middle of the first song." Eventually, Garfunkel gathered more confidence on stage post-recovery and returned to touring. He had a tour planned in 2020 but had to cancel or postpone those dates on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Pennsylvania news outlet Standard-Speaker.